The Boston Wine Expo is an amazing event.  Over two days, you are surrounded by hundreds of wines and dozens of foods.  Even when you reduce those numbers to the amount that you actually sample, there still are many names and faces to remember.  At the end of the weekend, the most memorable are the ones that will stay with you.

One such memorable winery was Aaron Wines based in Paso Robles, California.  I was able to speak with the owner, Aaron Jackson, about his Petite Sirah, his vineyards, and his first trip to the chilly and snowy Northeast.  While speaking, I, of course, sampled some of his 2006 Petite Sirah, which was full-bodied, well balanced, and smooth.  An absolutely lovely wine!

With the numerous attendees at the expo, there simply is not enough time to conduct a full interview.  Since then I have emailed with Aaron to learn more about his wines.

Do you harvest your own grapes, or do you purchase them from local vineyards?

I work with about 6 vineyards in Paso Robles, all of which are very small and none of which I own. The largest, I think, is 8 acres, so as you can see, most high-end, quality driven vineyards in Paso that have Petite Sirah planted are very small indeed. Paso is often divided into two areas, the Eastside and Westside. While the division of these two areas is somewhat arbitrary, there are some distinctive differences. The Westside is cooler from a general perspective, since it is closer in proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Also, the topography tends to be more extreme, with steeper hillsides and shallower, limestone heavy soils. The Eastside is warmer slightly, and may or more not have deeper soils depending on the site. It does, however, have a more gentle topography, with more rolling hills and less extreme hillsides. I work very closely with growers to guide the farming of all my fruit, which I purchase on contracts. It’s a great relationship, and I’m very anal about how things are done in the vineyard, to the point where I do quite a bit of vineyard work myself just to ensure everything is done to my standard. Currently, I have a great relationship with all my growers, and we’re all striving for quality and working toward making Petite Sirah in Paso Robles better than anywhere in the world. It can be done, I have faith!

According to your website, you ship to 18 different states.  Do you intend to expand?

I make a very small amount of wine, only about 400-500 cases a year. While the Aaron project started in 2002, it’s grown very slowly and for good reason. I’m at a point now that I am ready to start pushing the production, but only modestly. I’d like to be at 1200-2000 cases in the next 5 years, but there are a lot of things that need to happen to get me there. I have no big investors and no trust fund floating me, this has all come from my own pocket and from a lot of love. Also, I need to ensure that I have the quality fruit sources to supply me. The big reason that so many brands go downhill when then expand is that they start buying sub-par fruit to allow for increased production. I don’t ever want to compromise my quality. Ever.

What is the most important fact that I should share with our readers about Aaron Wines?

Aaron Wines is all about Petite Sirah and all about breaking down the doors of pretentiousness! The days of stuck up wine snobbery are gone, it’s all about drinking what you like and enjoying the hell out of it. My goal is to make the most ridiculous high end wines, but I also want it to be fun and approachable for everyone. I’ve been making wine for 9 years, but I’m only 26 and I’m not interested in being uptight and holding back. I make big wines, and that’s why I chose to focus on Petite Sirah. As my slogan says, Go big or go home!

Recently, my husband and I enjoyed a simple, yet romantic, dinner of cheese and crackers, as we had found an excellent cheese counter at a new-to-us grocery store.  Although we typically favor a red wine, it seemed that most varietals would overpower the delicate flavors of our goat cheese, mozzarella, and champignon.  To compliment the cheeses, we decided that a Chenin Blanc would be best.

Although it took a little searching to find the right wine (4 stores!), my husband found Dry Creek Vineyard 2006 Dry Chenin Blanc.  Having enjoyed this vineyard’s wine several years ago, he was certain that it would be the perfect accompaniment for our meal.

He was correct!  Although I prefer the fullness and body of a red wine, this Chenin Blanc didn’t disappoint me.  At first sip, it presented with a hint of pear.  Savoring the wine, it was full-bodied and perfectly dry.  This wine had enough intensity to compliment our dinner without either overpowering our food or being overpowered by the food.  It was the perfect compliment to our meal.

While I believe we will enjoy far more Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Sauvignons than any white, I know that when a white wine is needed, I will suggest this Chenin Blanc.

This week I’m going to talk a little bit about wine and Dan Aykroyd. Up until recently these two things probably had nothing in common, that is until Dan Aykroyd opened up his own vineyard and decided to give winemaking a try. Last Tuesday, the 24th, I had the opportunity to meet him and sample a bit of his new concoction.

Let me go on the record as saying this: I don’t know a lot about wine. I know there is white and red. I like some more than others, and some wines are sweet, others make your eyes pucker. Dan Aykroyd’s label is neither too sweet nor too bitter, it is just right. His label, Dan Aykroyd, has produced two wines: a chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.

On that Tuesday many gathered at Nashua’s State Liquor Store on Coliseum Avenue to meet and greet Dan while he signed wine bottles and answered questions about his wine. Seizing the chance to have my Blues Brothers poster outfitted with a signature, I gathered a small group for the trek. We got there an hour early, around 2:30, and waited until 3:30 when Dan arrived to sign bottles and make small talk.

As the line drew closer we had a chance to taste the wine, and I will admit that I enjoyed both. The chardonnay was dry and very tasty, while the cabernet was robust and full-bodied. When the chance arose for us to meet Dan, alas, he was answering questions for a local paper and couldn’t really speak to us. He did sign my bottles, poster and posed for a quick picture. I’m not even sure what I would’ve asked him anyway. For $19.99 Dan has made some good wine to be enjoyed with dinner or any occasion.

Not bad Elwood.

Wine Name: 2004 Swirling Dervish Merlot

Region: Central Coast of California – Livermore, CA

Price Paid: $6 per bottle

Description:

We had the wine on a weeknight to go along with a dinner selection of French Toast with Apples and Cheese. The eye-catching label was the first impression I had when I opened this bottle. Pouring the wine to our glasses, it had a rich color but not quite as dark as some of the more aged merlots. The wine had a fairly rich body and had hints of almond as it is worked around your mouth. Although it doesn’t have the depth of flavors of the northern California merlots, it was a solid dinner wine for the economic price of $6.