Wine Profiles
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Written by JoAnn Actis-Grande
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July 06, 2010 |
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 Image- Rob Mondavi (left), JoAnn Actis-Grande (center) and Geoff Whitman
When did you become interested in wine?
Although my parents frequently entertained at home serving martinis and wine, and my mom enjoyed drinking wine with dinner, I didn’t really have an interest until I left New Hampshire and started working at a restaurant part-time while attending Northeastern University in Boston. It was important for me to know about the wine list so I could extend that knowledge to my customers.
When did you officially get in to the wine business?
My girlfriend and I drove cross-country and landed in Southern California. I started working in production at several wineries in Santa Barbara, including Au Bon Climat. In 1998, I moved to the distribution side of the wine business joining Southern Wine & Spirits. In 2001, I worked for Robert Mondavi Winery in key sales management positions around Los Angeles, and then managed national accounts for Constellation Brands.
How did you become managing partner at Medusa and Spellbound?
I had a great working relationship with Robert Mondavi and the family took notice. After the Mondavi winery sold, I contacted Michael Mondavi to see if there was a place for me at his new company—Folio Fine Wine Partners. Michael told me he would be contacting me in the near future. In the meantime, in 2006, Rob Mondavi (Michael’s son) called me and asked if I wanted to become managing partner in Medusa and Spellbound—both wines included in the Folio portfolio. My passion and understanding for wine, along with my experience and business savvy, made me an ideal candidate for Rob as his general manager.
What types of wine are you currently producing?
For Medusa, we produce zinfandel that is made only from single vineyard grapes. Medusa also produces excellent port. Spellbound is a much larger entity, producing chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah, and we just released a merlot.
Do you have a signature wine?
I would have to say the Spellbound Petite Sirah—it’s a rock star!
What are some wine trends for the winter and spring?
There are lots of new entry wines and a lot of different styles, largely due to how many younger people drink wine. They are trying various varietals looking to buy two bottles for $40, not one. They are very value conscious, as are most wine consumers, so you will continue to see great values.
What’s new for you?
A great honor, I am General Manager of Michael Mondavi’s wine, M, by Michael and Isabel Mondavi Wines. M is a totally different deal altogether. This is the culmination of Michael’s life’s work in the wine business and has a great vineyard story, as well as his direct involvement in the winemaking, which has not happened since he was the winemaker for his father’s winery from 1968 to 1976. The wine, from his own vineyard, Animo (Italian for “soul”) is 100% Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvigon, and it’s delicious, selling for about $200 a bottle.
Isabel Mondavi wines feature a Carneros Chardonnay, a deep cabernet rose from the best cabernet grapes, and a pinot noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The Isabel label is original artwork featuring a bracelet she wears, and the wine is made by Rob Mondavi, for his mom.
I am also more involved in wine making. Recently, I partnered with Bill Lee (former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox). We are releasing “Spaceman” in 2010, a syrah, zinfandel and petite sirah blend—selling for under $20.
When you’re not at the winery making great wines, what do you do for fun?
Always learning how to make wine work. I am a huge baseball fan, play paddleboard, surf, and Rob and I are taking guitar lessons. I also want to start a family soon and create my own wine legacy.
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Last Updated on July 06, 2010 |
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Written by JoAnn Actis-Grande
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April 28, 2010 |
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 When did you become interested in wine?
I’m Irish and grew up in Ireland, a place where people love to drink. My father was in the drink industry and he often took the family on trips through France.
When did you get in to the wine business?
I worked as a tour guide for Pernot Ricard in their cognac facility, located in Ligneres, France, as well as Jameson Distilleries in Ireland. When I moved to Nantucket, I starting working at American Seasons. A few years later, I returned to Europe to take an advanced wine course and attended the Ballymaloe Cooking School.
Tell me about American Seasons?
I met my husband Michael LaScola, chef and co-owner, when I first started working at the restaurant. We got married in Ireland in 2002, and a couple of years later purchased the restaurant. Our menu is modern American and Michael uses only the finest ingredients—most of them local. We offer dishes from different regions and wines that match the region. The restaurant and bar area are cozy and romantic; in the summer months, you can dine on the outdoor terrace. Nantucket is a very special place. Our customers come from all over the world, expecting great quality and consistency. We receive excellent reviews and constantly do our best to keep our customers returning year after year.
Your wine list?
As a sommelier, it is my challenge to discover fun and interesting wines to complement the food at American Seasons, where we source principally from small-production, exclusively American winemakers. We feature over 500 of our favorite wines that pair well with our menu. Many of our producers are very hard to come across. We support as many small, sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wineries as possible and steer away from large production generic brands.
Do you have a favorite wine?
I really like Owen Roe wines from Oregon. Other favorites are DuMol Chloe Chardonnay, Pax Rose, Josh Cabernet Sauvignon by Joseph Carr, Motor City Kitty Syrah by K Vintners, and Flowers Pinot Noir. Also, Araujo wines—they carefully select each restaurant to decide where their wines will be listed.
What are some new trends?
Pinot Noir still sells the most. I find red wines pair better with food, and have more syrah and grenache blends on my list. During the warmer weather, dry rosé is very popular. Also, customers are drinking specialty drinks and ordering from our signature cocktail menu.
What’s new at American Seasons?
Roan—our daughter! We continue to receive Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence, as well as the Award of Unique Distinction from Wine Enthusiast magazine. On the wine list, I am introducing wines from South and Central America.
When you’re not at the restaurant, what do you do for fun?
Traveling to find new wines and looking to meet cutting edge wine producers. From January through March, we are closed, and take at least one trip to California. We try our best to end up in the most obscure and interesting vineyards. When the wine arrives at the restaurant…now that’s fun!
Photograph by Pixel Perfect
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Last Updated on April 29, 2010 |
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Written by JoAnn Actis-Grande
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March 25, 2009 |
 Merriam Vineyards, Sonoma, California
When did you become interested in wine?
For me it was not early on or something I grew up around. There were no ethnic wines around my house. Having grown up in central Maine, beer was more popular and I was interested in home brew. During college, I met my wife, Diana, and we married soon after. We decided to go to France for our honeymoon. We fell in love with all the wine we tasted and shortly after we returned to New England, we started collecting wine. We knew then that wine would be an important part of our life together.
When did you get into the wine business?
I purchased a package store in Massachusetts in the 1980’s. I sold a variety of wine and started to notice an increase in wine sales. Customers were starting to ask questions about wine and wanted to try new varietals. It was clear that wine was starting to take off in the U.S.
What inspired you to start making your own wine?
Our trip to France, having the wine store and collecting wines. Also, Diana and I have good friends who live in Sonoma and are involved in the wine industry—we visit them as often as we can. We decided this was where we wanted to buy a vineyard and one day build a winery. We started seriously looking in the late 90’s and purchased our first vineyard in 2000. We named it “Windacre”, after our beach house on the coast of Maine. The 2000 Windacre Merlot has won several medals including a silver medal in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
Where are your vineyards located?
The vineyards are on the edge of the beautiful Russian River Valley in Sonoma. The climate and soil conditions are much like the Bordeaux region in France; well-suited for growing merlot and other Bordeaux-style grapes.
What types of wine are you currently producing?
Merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec, petit verdot and some chardonnay. All our wines are from single vineyards and made in the traditional Bordeaux style—hand-crafted and using only the finest French oak barrels.
What’s new at Merriam Vineyards?
Los Amigos, our new winery and visitor’s center! The building is state-of-the-art, “green”, and we are doing sustainable farming. But the winery has the look and feel of a New England cape. Our 2008 harvest is being produced in the new facility and we will open to the public this spring. We have doubled our acreage for planting and we will also be producing pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. All our wines will be available at the winery and we are starting a wine club—this will allow us to ship wine to most states in the US. We are very excited about the new developments at Merriam Vineyards
What’s new for you?
I have been spending a lot of time at the winery, traveling back and forth between California and New England so that I can oversee all aspects at the new winery. When I’m not at the winery, I have been spending a lot of time working with our distributors, opening new territories, attending wine events, festivals and Merriam wine dinners.
When you’re not at the winery or on the road, what do you do for fun?
In the summer, Diana and I love staying at our Windacre beach house. We really enjoy entertaining there and it’s a great place for us to spend quality time with our four children. During the winter months, we ski as much as possible. Of course, at the end of the day, we love to relax with a bottle of wine!
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Last Updated on March 25, 2009 |
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Written by JoAnn Actis Grande
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July 22, 2008 |
 When did you realize that you would follow in the tradition of your family’s business?
I began working in the winery at the age of 10, during school vacations, doing anything that was needed. One day while I was stenciling numbers on a wine tank I realized how diverse the wine industry was and since we owned a winery, I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather and father. In 1974, after I served in the military, I joined the business while attending a winemaking program at UC Davis. I worked side by side with my father and went to school. After completing my courses in 1977, I became the full-time winemaker; it was then that my father stepped down.
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Last Updated on July 22, 2008 |
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Written by JoAnn Actis Grande
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July 22, 2008 |
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 After spending many years working with your father, Robert Mondavi, what are you doing now?
I founded Folio Fine Wine Partners, a new wine company, with my wife Isabel and our two children, Rob and Dina. The company has two main components. First, we are producers of fine wines from our own vineyards and some from our neighbors; and second, we are importers of fine wines from Italy, Spain, Austria, Argentina, and New Zealand.
Editor’s Note: Sadly, Robert Mondavi passed away in mid-May. Our condolences to the Mondavi family.
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Last Updated on July 22, 2008 |
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