Thinking-Drinking
  • Blog
  • Erin
  • Index
  • Articles
  • News
  • Podcast
  • Contact

Qupé (Santa Maria, California)

7/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
view of Bien Nacido from above
During the summer of 2016 I drove from LA to San Francisco to learn about Rhone varieties in California. A visit to Qupé was, of course, an important stop on the journey. 

The drive north to Qupé from Solvang was hot and dry, but after turning off the main road, signs of life sprang up. Two expanses of lettuce fields wallpapered each side of the pavement. In this area, grapes, lettuces, and berries are the bedrock of the economy.  

To get to the winery, you must drive over a cement bridge to get across the "river," which at this time was really a dry bed-- a testament to the 3 drought years prior. (But recently there has been a trickle!)

A building in the distance bustled with industry as barrels moved on the crush pad, receiving their cleaning in anticipation of the fast-approaching harvest. 

​It was almost time for lunch at the winery, a Qupé ritual. 

Picture
lettuce fields on the road to Qupé
In 1989, Bob Lindquist (Qupé founder) and Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat founder) teamed up and built a joint winery. The facility is large enough for both of them, and it's segmented into different sections. Everyday, the teams of both wineries gather together, make lunch, and discuss the day. The usually taste a few wines, too, and explore their merits and faults along the way. This daily exchange and wine tasting seems a vital and invaluable exercise in cultivating the culture within this winery.  
Picture
The Lunch Table
Picture
Bien Nacido
Picture
White Rock
A series of vineyards meanders through the valley, and you'll find several grape varieties including syrah. Many locals point to syrah from here as benchmark California syrah. 
The twin winery set-up is a unique one, but it works for Bob & Jim.

As a testament to their long friendship, if you look up in the winery, in the space where a transom would be,  you'll see a few photos-- one is a picture of the two from decades ago, and the other is recent picture. 

Two wineries, uniquely intertwined, helped start an incredible wine movement in the Santa Barbara area. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    _

    Follow @ErinBScala
    Instagram

    Erin

    I’m Erin, and this is my wine blog. Here, you'll find information about wines from around the world, and Virginia.  


    Top Posts

    Elizabeth Bird
    Sommelier History
    Stars & Terroir
    Dry German Wine
    1962 NYC Wine List

      Want to subscribe?

    Submit

    Archives

    December 2021
    May 2021
    June 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    January 2016
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    RSS Feed

    Picture