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DOES YOUR DOCTOR MAKE WINE THIS WONDERFUL?BY Madelyn Miller , the TravelladyRichard Sowalsky, WinemakerHis parents were so proud when he went to medical school. Their son, the doctor, sounded like music to their ears. Then in the middle of med school, he decided medicine was not for him. He took a year to think and refocus. Just like a wine that was ageing until its time was right, Sowalsky realized that what he really wanted to do was be a winemaker. He might as well have told his parents he wanted to be a rock star. MY SON THE WINEMAKER
As winemaker at William Hill Estate in the benchland of southeast Napa Valley, Richard Sowalsky oversees all aspects of wine production, working closely with his winemaking staff and viticultural team. With extensive winemaking experience and a diverse educational background that includes enology, medicine and the culinary arts, Sowalsky is well equipped to maintain the winery’s outstanding track record in creating intense yet balanced wines with true Napa Valley character. “I'm thrilled by this great opportunity and am excited to work with the extraordinary fruit coming off the William Hill estate,” says Sowalsky. Before coming to William Hill Estate, Sowalsky spent six years at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville as associate winemaker. In this role, he was the “hands-on” winemaker responsible for all aspects of ultra premium wine production for Bordeaux varietals, including the Napa Valley, District and Reserve tiers. During this time, he worked intimately with the historic 550-acre To Kalon Vineyard producing Cabernet Sauvignon from this Oakville appellation. Sowalsky also gained extensive exposure to many hundreds of acres of premium Cabernet family grapes grown in a variety of the choicest sub-appellations within the Napa Valley. Together with his vineyard team, Sowalsky monitored grape growth and development throughout the growing season, and was ultimately responsible for all harvest decisions. Previous to his promotion to associate winemaker, Sowalsky spent two years at Mondavi as a research enologist, before which he worked at other top wineries, including Handley Cellars in Philo, California, and Havens Wine Cellars in Napa. WINE AND ALL THAT JAZZ
Sowalsky’s passion for blending has been informed through many hours dedicated to tasting and experimenting with many hundreds of individual wine lots each vintage, resulting in a finely honed understanding of synergies achievable through this often-counterintuitive process. It is therefore not surprising that one of Sowalsky’s greatest assets as a winemaker is his diverse academic background, which includes study in enology, food science, culinary arts, immunology and neurology. In the course of his education, Sowalsky pursued degrees from such prestigious institutions as U.C. Davis, University of Maryland, California Culinary Academy and Amherst College. He is a published author and sits on the editorial review board of the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. When not making wine or walking the rows of vines at the winery’s 142-acre estate, Sowalsky enjoys scuba diving, hiking and reading. LEARNING TO BE A WINE WIZARDPICK A PERFECT WINE.IN NO TIME THE DOWNTOWN GIRL’S GUIDE TO WINE OLDMAN’S GUIDE TO OUTSMARTING WINE: 108 Ingenious Shortcuts
to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style RENAISSANCE GUIDE TO WINE AND FOOD PAIRING How to Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names VINO ITALIANO BUYING GUIDE THE LITTLE BOOK OF CHAMPAGNE THE LITTLE BOOK OF COGNAC Australian Wine Vintages 2005 The Guide to Colorado Wineries DISCOVERING WASHINGTON WINES Hidden Wine Country TOURING TEXAS WINERIES ACCESS CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY GREAT TASTES MADE SIMPLE WINE FOR WOMEN Madelyn Miller is a writer and web entrepreneur who writes for www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com and she has more ideas in the works. |
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TM
Sowalsky’s
parents have come around. In fact, they now toast his career choice.
“I
see winemaking as similar in some respects to jazz music: informed improvisation
through a vision of individual style is key to success in either discipline,”
notes Sowalsky. His philosophy involves becoming attuned to the particulars of
a vineyard site and using his vast body of knowledge as a starting point for
approaching each unique lot of grapes.
