A couple of months ago, publisher and podcaster Lisa Smith invited Winemaker Dave for an interview on her Big Blend Radio Podcast’s Winemaker Insider/Success Express show. The recording followed up on a previously recorded Podcast featuring both Dave and Sara interviewed by Lisa and Linda Kissam, Big Blend Radio’s Wine Diva.
In a wide-ranging chat, Lisa and Dave discussed the importance of doing what makes you happy as a career, as well as the challenges associated with running a small winery. Dave talked about the “borderline insane” decision we made for him to leave his career as a corporate tax attorney.
He explained: “I was, over time, just less and less happy doing what I was doing and really found that what was important to me was to create something that was tangible, something that would really that would really make a difference in the lives of other people.” Of course, that would be wine.
Hard Work = Great Wines
Dave and Lisa also discussed the degree of effort that goes into every Bells Up bottle.
“When you’re a small producer like we are—and we call ourselves micro boutique because I only make about six, seven hundred cases per year. We’re too small to even be boutique. We have no employees. I make the wine. I drive the tractor. I do the sales. My lovely wife, Sara, does marketing and schedules appointments and sort of utility infielder for other things. But that’s it,” noted Dave.
Relationships Are Key
A recurring theme throughout the conversation is the importance of relationships. Lisa and Dave discussed how we prioritize our relationships with our customers and how we develop those in private tasting appointments exclusively for one group at a time. They also discussed our practice of only buying fruit from micro-growers before our own estate vineyard came online.
“You want relationships with your customers who are drinking the wine, but it goes further and beyond. I don’t think the wine industry in this country would have made it to what it is today nationally, if it wasn’t for relationships and people helping each other,” commented Lisa.
Dave agreed, noting: “It’s really been the way that the Oregon wine industry has developed as a region. Nowadays we have 800 wineries in the valley, and that is a heck of a lot. But it also means that there’s a great support network out there. We all at some point are going to run into situations where we need the graces of others to help us along. And knowing that you can count on that somewhere here in the valley is so, so important.”
Winemaker-Hosted Tastings Guide Guests Through Unique Wines
Lisa, who has sampled our wines, asked how the opportunity to taste wines with the winemaker impacted guests’ impressions of the vintages.
Dave noted that he often sees guests discover that the assumptions they made about their palates aren’t necessarily true. He explained that people often come in with expectations about what a white wine is supposed to be.
“We have our own style and it’s very distinctive and very it’s one of the things that sets us apart,” he said. “A lot of people think that white wine is either oaky, buttery, California Chardonnay or sharp, acidic, very crisp or something that is sweet and sugary. And what I show is that you don’t really need to be any of those things. You can create a fruity wine that has acidity, but it is still gentle and soft on the palate. Challenging those assumptions really opens the door. What I tend to find is that people that are red wine drinkers end up really liking my whites.”
“I love your whites,” noted Lisa, “and I’m picky about white wines.”
“I see the reverse too. My red wines tend to be softer, more elegant. So when I get white wine drinkers that say, ‘oh, reds are too big for me. They just make me feel overly dry.’ Well, if you’ve been buying big, heavy Cabernets or big red blends, yeah, you would probably would feel that way,” Dave continued. “But then you see that when you’re doing things small and crafted, you start to realize that the world of the of wine is just much bigger than I think folks expect it to be. And so you do get all those pleasant surprises.”
Unpretentious Experiences Resonate With Bells Up’s Visitors
Lisa and Dave also chatted about the ongoing perception that wine—and wine tasting—is pretentious.
“The wine industry at a certain era, you felt like you had to wear high heel shoes and get dressed up. It was almost highfalutin. It was unapproachable,” she recalled. “Now we’ve got a different era of winemakers—and you’re definitely in there—where it’s like, ‘I don’t know about that wine, but let’s go taste it. Let’s go learn and let’s have an experience.’ And that’s what travelers want. Travelers, no matter what age group they’re from, want to have an authentic experience that makes some kind of positive change in their life, period. You fit that perfectly.”
Dave agreed. “I make 10 different wines, and not every one of those wines is going to hit everybody the same way. That’s life. But what my intention is that can people walk out and say that whatever their favorites were, that they could tell that every one of the individual wines was really well-made and that they respected and appreciated and admired the process and all that went into it,” he said.
Experience Bells Up’s Wines Today
There’s much more to the conversation Lisa and Dave shared. To hear more, check out video of the podcast recording, posted above. Want to sample and/or add to your wine collection? Contact us by phone at 503.537.1328 or email info@bellsupwinery.com today.
