Winemakers Corner
My philosophy is – what happens in the vineyard is what you get. When making wine, I like for the fruit to show itself. So, the challenge is in the vineyard. There's certainly lots of things you can do to the juice and to the wine itself to change it, but then you're making it something other than what it is. So, most of the important stuff happens in the vineyard.
We have 15,000 plants here and 11 different varieties. To me, each plant is an individual and needs to be treated as such. So, I have 15,000 individuals to take care of. Soils make a difference, as does the weather. But, if you treat your plants nicely, they'll return the favor.
I'm proud of the work we do in the vineyard. I'm proud that other winemakers come here and are impressed with how well our fruit looks, and want to buy our grapes. I'm proud when people come here and enjoy the wine. I like to see people smile. I enjoy producing a product that people enjoy.
— Jim Baker