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| Kevin Pike (right) and Daniel Donahoe at Music In Your Mouth at Palmetto Bluff |
Daniel Donahoe is the founder of Teira Wines and Silvertap Keg Wines. Daniel's Grandmother grew up with Julia Child and introduced the two during his first year at Boston University. Over the next four years, Daniel was fortunate to spend a great deal of time learning about food and wine from Julia and ultimately chose a career in wine instead of International Relations. He responded to our questionnaire while still recovering from his trip to South Carolina:
What's going on in the vineyard or winery right now?
Fall colors. It's beautiful: reds, yellows, oranges, golds - with only a few leaves on the ground. Duff Bevill's team has put all of the harvest equipment back in the barn.
How is the current vintage looking?
In a word: short. Our 20-acre Sauv Blanc vineyard yielded less than 50% of 2009 yeild. That said, even with the heat damage, the fruit that came in after we dropped clusters was beautiful and is tasting great in tank.
How is your wine different from every other wine?
Place - Dry Creek Valley. Style - accessible. Quality - consistent. Pricing - value. Julia Child taught me the importance of pairing food and wine. Too many California wines hit you over the head with oak, fruit and alcohol. My wines are always balanced, and will always represent an extremely high price-to-quality ratio: regardless of an up or down economy. Just say no to overpriced wines.
If you weren't making wine what would you be doing?
Surfing a point break in Indonesia, with a cold beer in the ice chest on the beach.
With so much wine out there already why do you want to make more?
See "How is your wine different from every other wine?"
What kind of shoes are you wearing?
Clark's Desert Boots
What's your favorite thing to eat with your wine?
Oysters from Pt. Reyes
What's the next grape for you?
Carignane
What is the greatest challenge you face as a winemaker?
Consistency
What's do you see as the biggest problem in the wine industry today?
Consolidation and Evil Empires taking over sales, marketing and distribution channels - pushing mass-produced, mass-marketed crap wine to the masses. Layer Cake, anyone?
What do you drink when you're not drinking you're own wine?
Beer. Or Leitz Riesling.
How important are the phases of the moon to you?
So TOTALLY important, dude.
Describe your favorite vineyard.
The Beeson Ranch - 100+ year old Zinfandel vines across West Dry Creek Road from my Merlot vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. Beautiful. Delicious.
What makes a wine great?
The dirt. Sorry, "terroir" for all the wine geeks.
Why should someone who tries to eat only food grown in South Carolina consider drinking your wine with dinner?
Good question.
What is the most overused winemaking technique?
Micro-oxidation.
What's your favorite cake?
Carrot.
What question should I have asked you but didn't?
When is the American wine consumer going to migrate away from being wedded to a "brand"?
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