CleverRoot

s u m m e r 2 0 1 8 | 6 3 At Laetitia Vineyard & Winery, Vice President of Production and Sparkling Winemaker Dave Hickey stands in front of one of the winery's two French-made Coquard basket presses, the only devices of their kind in North America. Dave's son (and Laetitia President) Eric Hickey crafts the winery's still wines. Croma Vera Wines owner/Winemaker Mindy Oliver and John Niven of Niven Family Wine Estates get some shade outside the Baileyana tasting room, where we discovered the aromatic whites of SLO Wine Country. The Niven family are SLO pioneers and own the famous Paragon Vineyard. Kynsi Winery co-owner Don Othman demonstrates the "Bulldog Pup," a racking device he created that's now used worldwide. Kynsi is home to the celebrated Stone Corral Vineyard, which the winery shares with Talley Vineyards and Stephen Ross Wine Cellars. Center of Effort Winemaker Nathan Carlson (left) and Bob Lindquist, founder of Qupé, pose with a map of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties at the new Qupé and Verdad tasting room in the Village of Arroyo Grande. "Terroir is not just about soils," says Carlson. "The culture and the people are also a big part of it." On the historic Harford Pier, Port San Luis Harbor Commission President Drew Brandy shows off a fresh bandit rockfish. Port San Luis was at one time the largest oil-shipping port in the country. Chamisal Vineyards Winemaker Fintan du Fresne, who came to SLO Wine Country from his native New Zealand, discusses the soil composition in a vineyard parcel while his Queensland heeler, Lola, delves more deeply into the terroir.

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