Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/299589
8 0 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | M a y - J u n e 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m Zelma Long. He was promoted to head winemaker in 1991 and became the winery's vice president and chief winemaker in 1996. He spent 13 years at Simi, where he was the driving force in developing the winery's well-regarded reserve cabernet program. I n 1 9 9 3 , G o l d s c h m i d t a l s o known as Beam Wine Estates – in 2003, where he oversaw produc- tion for the Clos Du Bois, Buena Vista, Haywood, Garcia, Atlas Peak, William Hill, Gary Farrell, Callaway and Jakes Fault wineries. Through this position he also worked with Campo Viejo, Marques de Arienzo and Ysios wineries in Rioja, Spain; Stoneleigh and Brancott Estate in New Zealand, and many others. In 2008, Goldschmidt struck out on his own as a full-time consul- tant, and he currently has 16 clients in North and South America, includ- ing wineries in Chile, Argentina, Canada and California. He also runs his own winemak- ing venture, Goldschmidt Vineyards, which he co-founded with his wife, Yolyn, in 1998. The company produc- es 25,000 cases per year between two brands, Forefathers and Gold- schmidt Vineyards, which focus on site-specific winemaking from great vineyards around the world. At the annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento, Calif., in January, Goldschmidt shared his unique perspective on the U.S. wine industry as part of a panel discussion about meeting market challenges through inno- vation. We followed up with him after the conference to discuss some of his observations and rec- ommendations. Vineyard & Winery Manage- ment [ V&WM ] When you're con- sulting in other countries, how do you maintain regional character in the wines, rather than making U.S.- or New Zealand-style wines with foreign grapes? Nick Goldschmidt [ NG ] You have to have some sort of experi- ence and seniority that makes you feel secure in the way you make wine, so you can appreciate that there are differences, rather than Americanizing everything. You have to have that experience to know why these regions are different. It takes a long time, and you have to do multiple, multiple tastings. [ V&WM ] In your presentation at Unified earlier this year, you said that U.S. wineries and grapegrow- ers are less efficient than those in other countries in terms of getting accepted the position of still-wine consultant to LVMH, visiting win- eries such as Cloudy Bay in New Zealand, Ruffino in Tuscany, Green Point in Australia's Yarra Valley and Terrazas in Mendoza, Argentina. Goldschmidt became executive vice president and winemaker at Allied Domecq Wines USA – later Put our cork in it. Cortica Benicia USA Natural . Twin-Disc . Agglo . Colmated . Champagne Tapered . Bar top . Technical . 3 L . 6L Corks Screwcaps . Capsules . Wax . Wirehoods Contact us for more information 2479 Courage Drive, Ste A Fairfield, CA 94533 t: (800) 532-2207 | f: (707) 399-8381 www.cbcork.com | www.cb.com.pt | info@cbcork.com