Year One
Just over a year ago, after countless hours of research, planning, and passionate discussion, Tira Nanza was transformed from a dream to a reality. From the start, our goal has been to pull back the curtain and give all of you an authentic window into the farming and winemaking processes. We can’t thank you all enough for your support and for joining us on this journey. As we reflect on everything that has happened since moving out here it is almost unimaginable to think that it has only been a year. Between the pandemic, a wildfire, and all the challenges that come with starting a business, we have faced our fair share of difficult tests but there have been far more high points than low ones. Watching the landscape transform as the seasons come and go, making beautiful connections in our community, and the process of zeroing in on our values and goals as individuals, as a couple and as a business have brought us so much clarity and joy. We started this endeavor with a passion for the work, a deep love for the land around us, and a vision to create something truly meaningful. Every day we learn and experience more than we could ever have envisioned.
I can’t paint a picture of this last year with words nearly as well as Sydney has with photos and videos, so rather than try we thought we would take this opportunity to introduce ourselves a little more. We are most often asked how we got into this business and why Carmel Valley. This industry has been my whole career, from working in a wine bar/restaurant as a teen, to starting my winemaking career working in a vineyard a mere two miles from our ranch. I then went on to hone my winemaking skills working vintages at renowned wineries in Napa, Sonoma, Livermore, and New Zealand and recently earned my WSET 3 Award in Wines. Sydney’s background is in marketing but joining me in working a harvest in New Zealand forged in her a love for working both the vineyard and the winery. After this transformative immersion into the world of wine, she quickly jumped into the industry and applied her marketing background to this newfound passion. Embracing the reality that running a wine business is no small task, she recently completed a certificate in Wine Business Management through Sonoma State. Our shared passion and hopes that together we could make a wine dream team led us to embark on creating our own brand.
We would build our brand on an authentic holistic approach and seek to offer genuine experiences and accounts by removing the shroud of smoke, mirrors, and pretension that can often be associated with wine. For us, Carmel Valley was the perfect fit. The first time Sydney and I ever had dinner together was at a restaurant in Carmel Valley Village some 12 years ago. While we never could have pictured this for our lives at that time, Carmel Valley has always held a special place in our hearts. Our love of this area drew us here, but it is the immense potential of this area to craft the wines that excite us most that make Carmel Valley, and Cachagua in particular the ideal setting for Tira Nanza to come to life.
Our original plan was that our first wines, a Viognier and a Rose, would have been released on allocation to all of you before the start of this summer. As many of you know however, the Carmel Fire had other plans and due to the intense smoke impact on last year’s harvest we decided not to produce any wine. It was an early and emphatic example of one of the most prominent lessons of the last year; it’s great to have a plan but it’s vital to be able to adapt and recover when plans change. That said, our plan for this year is to produce small quantities of Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon and some Rose from the parts of the vineyard that we are most excited about. If all goes according to plan, the Viognier and the Rose will be released in the Spring of 2022 and the Cab will be released in the Fall of 2023. In the upcoming months we will provide more information on our allocation and how to preorder our wines. The thought of finally having wines to share with all of you is our single greatest excitement and motivation as we move through what has the potential to be a great season.
Thinking about this first year of Tira Nanza, the emotion that strikes us most strongly is gratitude. Gratitude for this opportunity, for every moment shared with family and friends, for every day spent amongst our vines, for every lesson the land teaches us, and especially gratitude for all of you for being with us every step of the way.
Cheers,
-Greg & Sydney