After visiting Christopher’s White & Company Wine Trading in LA, I began the grape harvest and the bottling of Sylphide at the same time once October arrived. The grape harvest was done by laborers picking by hand, so all I had to do was keep checking the condition, and bottling was the same.
Inside the aging cellar, a strange heat lingered, mingled with the scent of metal and fruit. Each time the valves on the stainless-steel barrels opened, a red liquid flowed down, and the conveyor belt of the bottling line moved at a steady pace.
The clinking of bottles and the hiss! of pneumatic valves releasing echoed through the aging room.
“Keep the speed steady. If it’s too fast, it’ll foam.”
At my voice, I could see the workers tense up. Now that we had become a fairly well-known winery even in Napa Valley, the laborers working here were a little more competent than before.
The existing employees had become much more accustomed to the work and had learned the routines and work patterns unique to each winery, but what mattered most was that, as people began wanting to work here, an environment had been created where we could hire employees with solid experience and skill.
Not all winery workers were immigrants. There were plenty of young people who had always been interested in wine and wanted to learn about it, and who worked at wineries despite relatively low wages.
In that sense, Redwood was a workplace that young winemakers who truly understood the wine industry wanted to join, but even if they did get hired, we did not teach them the core secrets of winemaking. Any winery would probably be the same. What they could learn was grape cultivation and the basic process of actual winemaking.
In any case, thanks to having employees like that, I was able to arrange the workflow efficiently and focus only on the important tasks.
“But is this something other wineries don’t use? I didn’t hear anything about this when I went to that training before.”
Dad asked while looking closely at the various sensors attached to the stainless-steel aging tanks. It had been quite a while since we installed them, but back then, I had simply told him they were necessary and he had accepted it. Recently, however, he had begun taking a winemaking class at UC Davis, so it seemed he was curious.
“It’s definitely better to have them. And there are probably other wineries using this too. They just don’t reveal it to outsiders the way we do.”
“Oh, I see. That makes sense.”
Even if someone was not an undergraduate, UC Davis often taught specialized knowledge to winery owners and vineyard owners. So Dad had applied for that class and started learning from this fall semester.
“If you have temperature, CO₂, and dissolved oxygen sensors attached like this, you can accurately understand the fermentation state of the wine, which lets you draw out the maximum potential the grapes have.”
“But what should those numbers be?”
I looked at the tablet in my hand. The fermentation temperature of each barrel was fixed in units of ±0.1°C, and the CO₂ concentration was dropping uniformly. The DO, or dissolved oxygen, graph was holding steady in a straight line.
But to teach him this, there was too much foundational knowledge he needed to have first.
“That depends on the situation... hehe...”
There was still too much I would have to explain for Dad’s current level of knowledge.
“I still have a lot to learn.”
“Still, now that you’re taking classes at the university, you’ll pick it up quickly. Does anyone in class look at you strangely?”
Since the owner of Redwood Winery was taking a wine class, they had checked and rechecked several times from the moment he registered. How bewildered must they have been when the owner of a winery that had already won two Double Golds at the same time applied for a winemaking course?
“They did at first, but since I just quietly attend class and leave, no one looks at me strangely anymore. If I had to guess, I think they suspect the previous wines only won Double Gold because of luck.”
“Hahaha, I suppose they would.”
Other people might worry that it would damage the Redwood brand, but I did not care. It was important to help wine sales and build Redwood’s reputation, but I believed we could not miss out on a learning opportunity we ought to take just for the sake of that. Besides, it would take far too much time for me to sit Dad down and teach him winemaking myself.
“Then which one are you giving to the limited edition?”
“This one.”
I pointed to two large oak barrels and attached stickers to Selection Barrel #3 and #7.
“Those are the best?”
“Yes. This is the best Sylphide of the year.”
Even if you made wine from the same grapes under the same conditions, each barrel had subtle differences in taste. With this level of quality, I would not be ashamed to release it as a limited edition.
A few days later, Christopher White came to Redwood Winery in person from Los Angeles. As always, he appeared in a neat suit and spoke politely.
“I’ve come for the final inspection before shipment.”
Since Christopher had pre-purchased a massive quantity of wine—3,000 cases—it was only natural for him to check the quality before taking possession.
“Good. Let’s go.”
I led him to the aging room and opened the barrel valve. Red wine was poured into a glass, and its aroma spread through the air. The cherry and raspberry scents unique to Russian River Valley, along with a faint earthy smell of damp fallen leaves underneath, were far clearer and deeper than in previous years.
Christopher inhaled the aroma once, then closed his eyes.
“...... It’s different. The aroma is more refined than last year. Should I say the air itself feels different?”
I simply smiled without a word, and he slowly tilted the glass. The smoothly flowing liquid wrapped around his tongue, the first taste a delicate cherry. Soon after, the floral aroma characteristic of Pinot Noir spread out, and at the end, a fine mineral sensation lingered at the tip of his tongue.
“How can the acidity be this clear...?”
His eyes widened, and he could not hide his surprise. The previous Sylphide had already been a high-quality wine that had won Double Gold, but this year’s felt even better than last year’s, so he was both delighted and dumbfounded.
“We minimized oxygen exposure. Thanks to that, fine oxidation was suppressed, and the structure remained clean.”
He understood what I meant, but it was not as if other wineries did not do it because they were unaware of that.
“This... even 150 dollars a bottle looks cheap. It doesn’t fall short even compared to most cult-level wines.”
“If you think so, I’m grateful.”
This was a wine we were selling for 70 dollars a bottle. Since we were clearing out 3,000 cases at once, it meant 2.5 million dollars would come in all at once. Considering that the cost of bringing in over 40 tons of grapes from the Hart Vineyard in Russian River Valley was just a little over 100,000 dollars, it was an enormous profit.
But Redwood was probably not the winery making the highest profits in Napa Valley. 3,000 cases was a small amount compared to other large wineries in Napa Valley, and there were also cult-level wines that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per bottle.
“When I first saw you, I thought you were simply a lucky newcomer, but I no longer think that. I’ve realized it was calculated perfection from the very beginning. I still find it strange how you can do that at your age, but there are realms in this world that I cannot understand.”
He swirled the red wine in the transparent glass once, took in its deep and complex aroma, and spoke seriously.
“This wine will continue to be talked about.”
“Haha, I’m glad you’re satisfied, but excessive praise makes me uncomfortable. I simply think I completed this year’s wine.”
At my attitude, as if it were nothing special, Christopher hesitated for a moment, then took a silver envelope out of his bag. It was an invitation sealed with a red crest.
“Actually, I was invited to an event recently. It’s called the Hollywood Humanitarian Gala 2006, and it is a wine sponsorship partner event that I am personally hosting.”
“Hollywood?”
When I opened the invitation, a name was written in gold letters.
[Redwood Winery, Sylphide 2006 / Official Sponsor Wine.]
“I know you do not like events like this, but just this once, I would like you to attend in person.”
“You want me to go there?”
“As you know, the global wine competition program Wine Masters is becoming an enormous hit right now, and interest in Napa Valley wines has risen even further.”
That program, which Redwood Winery had not been invited to, had attracted considerable attention because of its unusual concept of wine battles. In particular, because the competitions were accompanied by explanations that made the program easy for consumers unfamiliar with wine to approach, there was even analysis saying overall wine consumption had increased after the show aired.
Naturally, even wineries that failed to rank high after participating in the program were enjoying significant sales increases, and that was the reason Christopher was so anxious now.
“That may be true... but even if we don’t go on something like that, it’s not as if we can’t move 3,000 cases, right?”
It was an arrogant statement that most wineries could not make, but since Redwood had already sold out both Aishelon and Sylphide last year, it was not completely groundless.
“That is correct. In fact, when I explained the distribution strategy to you before, I did not arrange such opportunities because I was afraid we could not sell 3,000 cases. It was a strategy to raise the brand reputation of Sylphide and Redwood going forward... but the sales increase caused by Wine Masters’ success is far stronger than expected, so having the winery appear at these kinds of events has an extremely positive effect on us as well.”
“......”
“And that does not mean this is a low-class event. It will not simply increase exposure; it will also help the winery’s reputation.”
He was telling me not to look down on it just because celebrities would be gathered there.
“Hmm...”
The reason I disliked these kinds of events was that I wanted to remain faithful to the basics of tending grapes well and making wine well. But as it happened, we had already harvested all the grapes, and Aishelon was scheduled to be bottled at the end of this month.
It was a period when I had at least a little breathing room amid the busyness. There was no real reason not to go.
“Please attend. If Redwood releases cult-level wines worth hundreds or thousands of dollars in the future, those people will be your biggest customers.”
I had been hesitating, but Christopher’s final words made me decide.
“All right. I’ll go.”
Since I had already been thinking of creating a cult-level wine this time, his persuasion was extremely effective.
“Thank you!”
After wrapping up the conversation like that, Christopher transported the 3,000 cases of 2005 Sylphide stacked in the warehouse two days later. Of those, he immediately sent 500 cases, including the limited edition to be put up for auction, to New York by air freight, while 10 cases of Sylphide still in LA were sent to the venue of the Hollywood Humanitarian Gala 2006.
A week passed, and we were at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
This place, called the heart of Hollywood, was brimming with excitement beneath golden chandeliers. From the entrance, camera flashes burst nonstop, and actors, directors, and businesspeople in suits slowly walked down the red carpet.
[Hollywood Humanitarian Gala 2006]
It was a charity event held around this time every year, but for me, it was impossible not to feel rather nervous. It was not because I was participating in such an event, but because Sylphide was one of the two main wines for the event.
I had confidence in the wine, but since the people evaluating it would be such famous figures, it was more accurate to say I was needlessly trembling.
Christopher White, dressed neatly in a black suit, looked so natural and stylish, but when I actually wore something like this, it felt a little uncomfortable.
“I’ll do most of the talking, and you just need to greet people and explain the wine. It’s only natural for luxury brands to participate in charity events like this to promote themselves, so just act naturally and build connections with Hollywood figures, and that will be enough.”
“Yes, I understand.”
However, the first person I exchanged greetings with at today’s event was someone completely unexpected.
“Oh? You came too! Was Redwood one of the main wines today?”
The owner of the voice, which somehow sounded irritated, was Elowen of Silver Oak.
“Ah, good to see you.”
“Good to see you too.”
I did not know if he was truly glad to see me, but at least his face was radiating confidence. That was inevitable, because although Silver Oak had only placed ninth in Wine Masters, outside the rankings, the popularity of the program had greatly increased its recognition.
“I watched that TV show. It was such a shame.”
For a moment, his face stiffened, but soon he smiled.
“We had bad luck. We were matched against Château Smith Haut Lafitte.”
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a winery acquired in 1990 by Daniel Cathiard, who had succeeded in the sporting goods business and improved its quality, was certainly a good place, but it was by no means an absolute powerhouse.
“That’s true. You were matched against a strong opponent... Anyway, what wine did you bring today?”
“It’s a newly released wine. Everyone will be shocked.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“And you?”
“We brought the new vintage of Sylphide, which we released last year.”
“I see... Still, our wine is premium class. Isn’t Sylphide a bit lower-end? I think it’ll be compared.”
Before I could answer, Christopher responded in my place.
“Ah, the price of this Sylphide is 150 dollars retail, so it is not at all embarrassing for it to participate in today’s event.”
A fine crack appeared on Elowen’s face immediately.
“150 dollars? That wasn’t the price last year.”
“It went up.”
“Haha, you raised the price that much? Can you handle that?”
“That is for the consumers to decide.”
“Oh... so that’s why you’re participating in today’s event? If celebrities approve of it, people will criticize less even if it costs 150 dollars.”
He was the kind of person who judged everything by his own standards.
“Well... in any case, I look forward to your wine.”
“I look forward to yours as well.”
Watching him turn and disappear, Christopher spoke blankly instead.
“Is he always like that?”
“He has some resentment toward me, so he gets emotional.”
“Tsk... he’s going to be shocked later... tsk, tsk, tsk...”
Christopher clicked his tongue in pity.