Think wine is stuffy and pretentious? Get ready to change your mind.
A visit to Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery grants many pleasures, starting with a thrilling ride up Spring Mountain (brace for narrow roads, sharp turns and scenic vistas). Upon arrival, prepare to be charmed by the men behind the bottles, who’ll regale you with as many stories as you like. The no-frills approach not only adds to the charm but embodies the spirit of the brothers. “I hand them a glass of Chardonnay, tell them to stand where they are and turn in a circle: The tour is over. Now we can get to tasting the wine!” says Charles F. Smith III, winemaker. There isn’t even a tasting room, just a foldout table outside, a salt of the earth barrel room inside and the bodacious scenery. But it’s the company and the wines that keep people coming back year after year.
Up the mountain
When asked what drove him and his brother up the hill and into the wine business nearly 40 years ago, Charles replies deadpan, “I was cuckoo about wine. It was a hobby that got totally out of control, for both of us, really.” Perched at the highest point in the Spring Mountain appellation in St. Helena, looking out over the vineyard and valley floor below, younger brother and general partner Stuart Smith elaborates, “I was at Berkeley in the ’60s, where a food and wine revolution started in the Bay Area. At the time, roast beef wasn’t ‘done’ unless it was gray, vegetables weren’t cooked unless they were limp and exotic cheeses were Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar and Velveeta. All of that started to change.”
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A visit to Smith-Madrone Vineyards & Winery grants many pleasures, starting with a thrilling ride up Spring Mountain (brace for narrow roads, sharp turns and scenic vistas). Upon arrival, prepare to be charmed by the men behind the bottles, who’ll regale you with as many stories as you like. The no-frills approach not only adds to the charm but embodies the spirit of the brothers. “I hand them a glass of Chardonnay, tell them to stand where they are and turn in a circle: The tour is over. Now we can get to tasting the wine!” says Charles F. Smith III, winemaker. There isn’t even a tasting room, just a foldout table outside, a salt of the earth barrel room inside and the bodacious scenery. But it’s the company and the wines that keep people coming back year after year.Up the mountain
When asked what drove him and his brother up the hill and into the wine business nearly 40 years ago, Charles replies deadpan, “I was cuckoo about wine. It was a hobby that got totally out of control, for both of us, really.” Perched at the highest point in the Spring Mountain appellation in St. Helena, looking out over the vineyard and valley floor below, younger brother and general partner Stuart Smith elaborates, “I was at Berkeley in the ’60s, where a food and wine revolution started in the Bay Area. At the time, roast beef wasn’t ‘done’ unless it was gray, vegetables weren’t cooked unless they were limp and exotic cheeses were Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar and Velveeta. All of that started to change.”
Click here to continue to full article
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