Luxe Beat Magazine DECEMBER 2014 | Page 78

Fifth Generation Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner By Sherrie Wilkolaski to talk with Luxe Beat Magazine and during the interview, he took me down the Wagner family memory lane and when we were done, there is no question where their success comes from. upon. Along with the opportunity that was in front of me when I joined the family business, came a great amount of responsibility for the current times, but more importantly, to pass the family legacy on to my children in a better state than when I received it. The focal point of being any generation of a family winemaker is expanding upon the trade that I was taught, and handing that down to my children while working alongside of them. We each have our domains that we focus on, which create a broader scope of understanding for wine styles throughout the entire family. We often share our experiments...both the good and bad, which stir up great debate and eventually a rapid Running a business is hard work. Running a business with your family must be even harder. I asked Joseph what it was like to be a fifth generation vintner and this is what he had to say about his family’s business. “When you’re talking about a family business, I was fortunate to be raised in a grape growing and winemaking family. Having the amount of knowledge and know-how from generations before me set an immense foundation for me to build 78 evolution of new styles. We can take each other’s successes and build upon them.” With such a strong family workethic and drive to keep the legacy of the Wagner family alive for generations to come, I wondered where the name “Meiomi” came from. As it turns, out it means “coast” in the language of the native, coastal dwelling Wappo and Yuki tribes, and pays tribute to and symbolizes the origin of their Pinot Noir. “Meiomi began as a blend of Pinot Noirs from Sonoma’s Coastal regions with the 2002 vintage. The concept of diversity of character was well intact over the years, and then with IMAGES COURTESY OF MEIOMI WINES O enophiles appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into winemaking, from planting crop, harvesting the grapes to the magic that transcends the barrels. At the heart of it all is the care that goes into the winemaking process, that impresses us as we raise the wine to our lips, swish and then spit. One such impressive family of winemakers, the Wagners, has been making wine for five generations in Napa Valley, California. Their Meimoi and Belle Glos history originated in the 1880s and is currently in the hands of Joseph J. Wagner a winemaker with a passion for Pinot Noir. He has been overseeing vineyard operations and winemaking since 2002. He sat down