Forget collecting fancy cars, shagging groupies, and throwing TVs out of hotel windows. Winemaking has become the cool new thing to do if you’re a rock star.
Sting produces wine on his 16th century estate in Tuscany and markets it—along with his own honey and olive oil—under the “Il Palagio Sumner Family” label. Maynard James Keenan, the Tool front man who has been known to jump around stages wigged and half-naked, has a winery in Arizona that’s featured in the new documentary Blood Into Wine. And here in our backyard, Virginia’s own native musical son (by way of South Africa of course), Dave Matthews, owns Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville, with its 10 acres of grapes. But the real rock star at Blenheim isn’t Matthews himself; it’s his winemaker, Kirsty Harmon.
Harmon has been Blenheim’s winemaker since June of 2008, landing her dream job after taking a circuitous route to the vino trade.
“I got into wine by accident,” she said recently. “My undergraduate degree is in biology from UVA, and I spent several years working in a yeast genetics lab doing research. Although the research was interesting, I felt like I needed a change of pace. I left the lab to become a calligrapher and wedding planner and ended up making wine.”
Harmon’s winemaking odyssey found her spending five years apprenticing with Gabriele Rausse, the “godfather of Virginia wine,” before heading to the University of California, Davis, where she earned her masters in viticulture and enology (the study of growing grapes and making wine) in 2007. Then it was off to Burgundy, France for six months and New Zealand for three, before returning to Virginia and taking the job at Blenheim.
Started by Dave Matthews and his family in 2000, Blenheim was open by appointment only until early 2009, when Harmon and the family decided to open up the vineyard for daily tastings—not in the least to show off the majestic building that houses the winemaking itself as well as the tasting rooms. The eco-friendly building was designed by Dave Matthews, and features skylights that provide enough heat and light for most of the year without turning any switches on.
“The building is spectacular and the views are phenomenal,” Harmon said, “so it seemed a shame not to share it with customers. The building is beautiful, but also very comfortable and approachable. We hope to achieve the same with our wines.”
It seems they have.
Harmon recalled an encounter with a couple who, like many visitors to Blenheim, stopped by because they were devoted Dave Matthews fans, not necessarily wine connoisseurs. As they enjoyed some wine on the deck after the tasting, Harmon dropped by their table and learned just how new to wine they were.
“They told me they had never even tasted wine before,” Harmon recalled, “but figured if it had something to do with Dave, then it had to be ok. I think that wine can be pretentious and intimidating at times, although it really doesn’t have to be, so I hope I was able to give this couple a positive first encounter with wine.”
Harmon currently makes two different Chardonnays, a Viognier, a Rosé, a Merlot, a Cabernet Franc, and a red blend called Painted Red. She’s working on a Syrah blend, some Cabernet Sauvignon, a Marsanne, and a Rousanne for bottling later this year. Blenheim also offers cooking classes, a monthly winemaker’s dinner, and bimonthly art openings celebrating the changing art on the walls of the winery. All in all, there’s a little something for everyone who might be in the neighborhood, or might be making a special trip to see what a certain rock star’s vineyard looks like.
Dave has been known to stop by from time to time, surprising unsuspecting visitors and sticking around to chat and sign autographs. He’s worked on designing some of the labels for the wine bottles and even been known to help pick a grape or two.
But if you make the trip to Blenheim, don’t count on a sighting. As Harmon put it: “He’s a pretty busy guy.”
Blenheim Vineyards: 31 Blenheim Farm, Charlottesville, VA; 434-293-5366; www.blenheimvineyards.com
[googleMap name="Blenheim Vineyards" width="770" height="235"] 31 Blenheim Farm, Charlottesville, VA[/googleMap]
