Stirm Winery
We now have a Reisling from Stirm wine called Kick-On Eolian REisling. The flavors are delicious, bright, round, citrus notes, stone minerality and a crisp green apple. Ask for a taste when you are here. Learn more about the process and inspiration of the wine.... which creates the soul of the wine. Wines are living and soulful process and you can taste the love in this wine. - Jennifer
Inpiration
My inspiration to work with plants and be involved with the creative process of winemaking started just working with my grandma in her backyard garden at age 4. Everything from planting seeds to foraging the neighborhood and surrounding east bay hills for seasonal treats like fennel stalks and figs. Those early experiences really made an impact on me and continue to be the driving force in what I do and how I live my life now.
About Stirm Wine Co.
Stirm Wine Co. started in 2013 to usher in a new era of California Resling. Riesling has been grown in California since the 1850's, and with great success early on. The "fashions" changed (Chardonnay is now the most commonly planted grape in CA), and since about the 1960's California Riesling has been slowly declining, until recently. With the arrival of climate change, we believe riesling is due yet again for a run of success. It has good drought-tolerance, retains acidity very well, and ripens late into the season. Riesling is also unique for being extremely transparent, in the sense that it has the character of the place it was grown (if made naturally, of course).
Mission: water reduction and pesticide free
Stirm Wine Co. has several different missions were trying to achieve; we would like to convert all of the vineyards we work with to become dry-farmed (no irrigation used) and all farmed using holistic principles. We want to strip the "inputs" out of farming and find the most pure, natural flavors on the planet. This is only achieved through simple farming methods; i.e. hand-working the vines/soil, not using any synthetic fertilizers/pesticides. Dry-farming was historically the only way to farm grapes in CA, and is an excellent way to save water for a crop that doesn't need it (the yield just goes down, and quality goes way up).
Geeking out about Soils and Fermentation
Were really excited to be working with an old-school grower who farms about 50 acres of old-vine, dry-farmed riesling in the Cienega Valley, in San Benito County (south of Hollister). It's planted on the edge of two tectonic plates (the San Andreas Fault runs on the property line) so there are two distinct and widely different soil types found there: limestone that weathers into clay, and granite that weathers into sand. I've never made/drunk a riesling with it's signature before. All we do is pick the grapes by hand, when they no longer taste unripe (we aim for the freshness of the ripeness spectrum, we believe in peak flavor development early on.) then we foot-stomp the grapes with there stems still attached, and press the grapes when they extract enough tannins/phenolics (usually about 6-12 hrs of maceration). We add no sulfur, yeast, anything at this point and let the juice turn black, on purpose. Then the fermentation starts spontaneously (we never use yeast) and we allow it to go thru both the primary and secondary fermentation, usually lasts about 3-7 months. Then we add a touch of sulfur, and carefully rack the wine off the lees (yeast that has settled at the bottom of a tank/barrel) and bottle unfiltered. We feel this is our signature wine, and a vineyard we will work with as long as possible. The wine should age very respectably.
Upcoming Events
I'm doing a dinner event in Topanga with a chef inspired by theLocal Food Movement on Monday DATE????, then I'll be pouring at a once every three years riesling event in Seattle in July called the Riesling Rendezvous, which should be a great learning experience and fun.
Community
Without community and the support of everyone else, I couldn't do what I do. I'm only as capable as the community network that surrounds me. We are extending that this year, and building a winemaking facility to host others like myself start there own wine production in Santa Cruz. It'll be a great way to build camaraderie, learn new winemaking, get exposure, and grow the community of like-minded professionals. Compassion is an issue coming down the pipe for all Californians; we are completely reliant on a cheap labor force, and unfortunately take advantage of it. I fully expect that farmworkers will need to be paid a much higher living wage in our lifetimes to create a sustainable agricultural business. There is a way to be equitable socially and financially; it just requires an alternative business framework.
Tips to live a more compassionate lifestyle
I try and see things through the perspective of what others are experiencing. Whether that is physically embodying what others are doing (such as working as a farm laborer) to practicing living in poverty (fasting/eating one meal a day for less than $3/plate, sleeping on couches like a vagabond, etc.). Experience is the only way I know to feel how somebody else might live on this planet, and it's an excellent way to teach compassion without preaching it. One other great way is to take interest in someone else's life and life story, everyone deserves a chance to share their life with someone else, it's what humans do!
Recently I have started meditating on a daily basis, just setting aside a time where I can be quiet and focus on being present. It sets the tone for the day, and helps to quicken the decision-making process, build confidence, reduce anxiety, and just feel prepared for whatever the day might throw at you. As far as cooking, I try and challenge myself in the kitchen in two ways: using ingredients I've never used together, and perfecting each cooking technique for a certain ingredient. I love to master particular tasks (one of my mantra's every morning is sauteeing onions in a cast iron pan), but still being creative, i.e. working with a new type of kale I grow in my garden, or foraging native plants for use as seasonings, etc. Adding new things you've never worked with gets your brain into thinking mode, and learning.
I look up to and find inspiration from the pioneers and leaders that are searching for authenticity in ingredients, and those who are simply trying to lessen their impact and make the world a more enjoyable place to be.
Take it easy,
Ryan