S1E1: Mark Beaman
We all have an image of the winemaker. He goes about his work with a soundtrack playing in the background. He moves in slow motion. His craft whispers to him. He listens and through this seance, he coaxes the ghosts of terroir to bless his labors.
And we win. Because the wine speaks to us. It awakens our palette. We drink in slow motion.
It’s very poetic and cheers to that! But the truth is, most winemakers are scientists first, artists second. And the best of them have found the balance between the two.
The first time I hung out with Make Beaman, Harvest Winemaker at Beringer Vineyards in Napa, California, he showed me his lab. Complete with glass phials, twisty tubes, bunsen burners aflame and a lot of paperwork. There was even a microscope.
That was the science part. The poetry we found amongst the vines themselves.
As you’ll learn, the true art is the mixing of the latest science and research and the patience and care a winemaker and his team must show in bringing to life a vineyard that is ready to create a symphony for the rest of us to enjoy in the glass.
Introducing my friend, Mark Beaman. Cheers!
- DGT
Mark and I enjoying a bottle of Tonti Vineyards “Old Vine Zinfandel,” a gift from a fellow winemaker, Peter Tonti. The view is from Mark’s place when he lived on Maui, in Ulupalakua. The island of Kaho’olawe is in the background.