Food & Wine USA - (10)October 2020

OCTOBER 2020 53

CAMINS 2 DREAMS

STA. RITA HILLS,

CALIFORNIA

In 2008, winemaking duo Tara

Gomez and Mireia Taribó were

both working at Spain’s Castell

d’Encus; Gomez, a member of

the Santa Ynez Band of Chu-

mash Indians, was taking a

break from California to tour the

world. Today, they’re married,

with Gomez in charge of Kitá

Wines (owned by the Chumash

tribe) and Taribó consulting for a

number of wineries. In 2017, they

started Camins 2 Dreams. Pro-

duction is small for the moment

(about 400 cases), but the vine-

yards Gomez and Taribó work

with are among the region’s best.

And though the grand opening

party for their tasting room was

canceled due to COVID, they are

offering tastings by appointment.

camins2dreams.com

WINE TO TRY 2017 CAMINS 2

DREAMS ZOTOVICH

VINEYARD SYRAH ($46)

Fresh-cracked black pepper and

blackberry fruit are at the heart

of this light-on-its-feet Syrah.

FOLDED HILLS

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY,

CALIFORNIA

Folded Hills is a winery, but it’s

also a 100-year-old ranch with

vineyards, an organic farm, and

a farmstead store. Currently,

owners Kim and Andrew Busch

care for 15 acres of grapes—as

well as row crops, fruit trees,

goats, pigs, llamas, and a camel

named George. Their wines

launched in 2017, with A Tribute

to Grace’s Angela Osborne on

board; she’ll pass that baton

to Scar of the Sea’s Michael

Brughelli for the 2020 harvest.

Moderate in alcohol and made

with native yeasts, the Folded

Hills wines are supple, aromatic,

and complex—standouts in a

region packed with excellent win-

eries. foldedhills.com

WINE TO TRY 2017 FOLDED
HILLS AUGUST RED WINE
($43)
This translucently ruby-hued
blend of Syrah and Grenache is
savory and vibrant, with
lingering blueberry and black
pepper notes.

Sonoma Savant Martha Stoumen’s natural

approach is helping redefine California wine.

By Abigail Koffler

FROM THE EYE-CATCHING labels on her bottles by Oakland, California–based artist Carolynn

Haydu to her wines’ cheeky names and terroir-specific, thought-provoking contents, Martha

Stoumen is challenging wine orthodoxy in California. An advocate for women winemakers

and a frequent collaborator outside the wine space—consider her wine-beer hybrid with

Chicago’s Middle Brow—most recently she’s been dreaming up ways to turn a fermentation

gone sideways into a low-ABV hard seltzer and, of course, releasing her latest batch of wines.

F&W: How do you

describe your wines? And

what’s your take on natu-

ral wines overall?

MS: Natural winemaking

is really kind of a behind-

the-scenes technique;

it’s not necessarily a

finished category that

you drink from. Mostly I

hope people understand

my wines just by drinking

them; I hope that they

feel like they’re classic

expressions as well. My

approach is low interven-

tion, but I feel the wines

themselves bring a lot of

joy and are ageworthy,

too. Plus, I really like to

make wines that are

multidimensional—they

may have some tannin,

but also acidity and a

WINES TO TRY

2018 MARTHA STOUMEN NEGROAMARO

ROSATO ($42)

One of the wines Stoumen ages longest before

release—unusual for a rosé—this is made

with fruit from Benson Ranch, which Stoumen

leases and dry farms. It’s a rosé for fall, with

cranberry notes and well-balanced acidity.

2019 MARTHA STOUMEN YOUNG VINES

VENTURI ($38)

Stoumen blends three clones of Zinfandel with

a touch of Vermentino (a white variety, which

gives a lift to the flavors) for this plummy, tea

leaf–scented red. Like all of her red wines, it is

aromatic and can take a bit of a chill.

freshness that can go

throughout the year with

a wide range of foods.

F&W: Do you get any

resistance from the

California old guard about

what you’re doing?

MS: A little, yes. A few

years ago, I was at a trade

fair that was taking place

in Napa—people selling

barrels, stuff like that—

and the crowd was mostly

older. And I remember

talking to an older gentle-

man who was just not

into natural wine at all; he

kind of hated the scene

and hated the term and

gave me a lot of pushback.

Since that time, though,

I haven’t had as much

interaction with those

people. I would love to

continue the dialogue. It’s

similar to politics—when

you sit down with some-

body and have a long con-

versation, and you realize

you certainly have areas

where you disagree, and

they’re good to talk about,

but you actually have

more in common than

might be expected.

F&W: What is something

you’re learning right now

and something you’re

teaching?

MS: Not growing up in the

wine industry, I’ve had to

try and figure out a lot on

my own, and thankfully

there have been people

who have been very open

with me [Stoumen is in an

ongoing online forum for

women winemakers and

has also worked at COS in

Sicily and Broc Cellars

in California, among

others]. So with any and

all information I can share,

I say, let’s do it. Let’s

make this wine industry

a place where the barri-

ers to entry are fewer: for

women, people of color,

and more. I’m also trying

to figure out how small

businesses afford health

insurance; for instance,

collective bargaining, as

an industry—how can we

work on that? How can we

create a more equitable

system for everybody

involved in this business?