My Journey into Wine Pt. 2
My first trip to the Santa Ynez Valley to decide if this was going to be the place for Slouch Hat Wines.
Before I begin the second part of My Journey into Wine, I want to say thank you for all the interest and comments I received on part one of my story. It went somewhat viral (relative to anything else I’ve ever done) on LinkedIn and pushed a lot of people I’ve never met to my website to read about my story and Slouch Hat Wines. Honestly, I never expected so much interest in my story, but I’m grateful for it and I appreciate the compliments on my writing skills – especially since the Slouch Hat Blog is the first time I’ve written for an audience that wasn’t giving me an official grade. All that to say, thank you and let’s begin part two!
Missed part one? Read it here.
The name Slouch Hat Wines is meant to convey my love story with wine, which was shared in part one. “Slouch hat” is an overarching term for any wide-brimmed hat. Under the slouch hat umbrella are more familiar hats, such as the Stetson, the Outback, the Cavalier (Three Musketeers hat), Boonie Covers, etc. Unfortunately, if you google “slouch hat” you’ll see a lot of ads for slouching beanies. Although they do look incredibly comfortable, this is not the type of image I was hoping to evoke with the brand name. Maybe when we expand into craft beers… (highly unlikely).
To me a slouch hat represents hard work. It evokes images of ranchers, cowboys, explorers, cavalrymen, and farmers. Men and women who live off the land that they work. However, it also evokes an opposing image. A restful, almost lazy, image of someone leaning against a tree at the end of a long day’s work with their slouch hat pulled down low over their eyes. It’s these juxtaposing images that led me to choose the name Slouch Hat Wines. The harder you work wearing a slouch hat, the more it becomes beat down by the sun, sweat, and the elements. When the wide brim begins to slouch, it’s time for you to follow suit and slouch back with a nice glass of wine. A glass of Slouch Hat Wines, of course.
These opposing images also represent my love story with wine. When I discovered the serenity and beauty of the vineyards, I was in the midst of a disciplined, hierarchical work environment with the Marine Corps. After a week or so in the field wearing a boonie cover it was destroyed with sweat, rain, snow, or whatever else we experienced that week – a nice indicator that it was time for me to escape to the vineyards for relaxation and wine. For over a year I went back and forth between strict discipline during the week and pure freedom on the weekends. I was truly embodying these contrasting images.
This desire to relax after a day’s, or week’s, work is what led to Slouch Hat Wines’ mission: to bring the serenity of the vineyards to wherever you open a bottle. We can’t all escape to the vineyards every evening or weekend, but that doesn’t mean the vineyard can’t come to us. (I live in Arkansas for a large part of the year, so even I can’t even escape to the vineyards a lot of the time!) My hope is that when you open a bottle of Slouch Hat Wines, no matter where you are, it reminds you to take a moment and be at peace.
In order to accomplish that I needed to create beautiful wines. Nice words and great intent can only take me so far, unfortunately. Therefore, I needed to find the perfect AVA (American Viticulture Area) – i.e., Napa, Sonoma, Santa Ynez Valley, Paso Robles, etc. As you all know by now I settled on the Santa Ynez Valley. There were a few reasons I made this decision. The first of which is I love Pinot Noir and the Santa Rita Hills AVA (a sub-AVA of the Santa Ynez Valley) grows world class Pinot Noir and the best in America – sorry, not sorry, Oregon. In addition to the best Pinot Noir in America the Santa Ynez Valley grows multiple other world class grape varieties. Ballard Canyon (another sub-AVA) grows the best Syrah and other Rhone varietals in America – sorry, not sorry, Washington State. Finally, if you move to the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley, you’ll find Happy Canyon AVA. This AVA grows phenomenal Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varietals. I will not claim them to be the best in America, but they can definitely rival the best – you’re welcome, Napa. So, in just one valley on the central coast of California you can grow and make world class wines from numerous varietals. It also helps that it’s significantly cheaper than growing and making wine further north in places like Napa, so you get to drink world class wines at a much more affordable price. Sounds like paradise.
Wines in this area can range from $25-$100 dollars depending on vineyard sites and winemaking techniques. Slouch Hat Wines Sauvignon Blanc and GSM Blend will be roughly $29 and $35 a bottle, respectively.
Want to know why the Santa Ynez Valley is so perfect for growing such different grape varietals? Read Po’Boy’s blog post on the Valley here.
Credit: Wine Folly
At this point you are probably wondering why I don’t have a Slouch Hat Pinot Noir, since it was the number one reason for picking the Santa Ynez Valley. The practical answer is I needed to pick two wines that I could get onto the market quickly. If I had chosen to start with a Pinot Noir, it would need at least a year at the winery to age and develop. Therefore, I would have to cover almost three years of expenses before I saw a single dollar in revenue! Just like nice words and great intent, limited funds can only take me so far as well.
There will be a 2023 Slouch Hat Wines Pinot Noir, though! Hopefully on the market in late 2024 or early 2025!
There’s also a much more romantic answer to that question: I genuinely love Sauvignon Blancs and Southern Rhone blends (i.e., GSMs). This developed during my time at Total Wine. If you remember the first part of my journey, I mentioned that Total Wine was my first chance to really explore Old World wines (France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal). It’s almost blasphemous to say, but I wasn’t impressed by what I was trying. That is until I found these two non-discreet sections in the store: The Rhone and The Loire Valleys. I fell in love with them. The Southern Rhone is allowed to grow and blend 23 grape varieties, but it’s most commonly a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre (GSM). Look for bottles of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, or Vacqueyras next time you’re shopping for wine then compare with Slouch Hat’s GSM later this year! The Loire Valley grows and makes incredible Sauvignon Blanc. You may have heard of Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. I was given the opportunity to grow and make wines that rival my favorite wines from the Old World - how could I say no?
Currently, we are just under two months away from bottling Slouch Hat Sauvignon Blanc and introducing it to the world in time to enjoy a chilled glass in the warmer weather. Later this summer we will bottle and introduce Slouch Hat GSM. It will be a great wine to share over Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family. I hope to write a part three of this Journey in a couple years, but for now you are all up to date. In the meantime, remember to take a moment wherever you are, slouch back with a glass of Slouch Hat Wines, and escape to the serenity of the vineyards. You’ve earned it!
M.P. Fowler
