November 17, 2004

And the event not only highlighted these winemakers’ abilities, but why it’s sometimes hard to market wine to twentysomething drinkers.

Billed as "Young Winemakers of the Santa Cruz Mountains," the event was a tasting of wines from Ryan Beauregard and Kenny Likitprakong. These two young men ushered the crowd into the world of "baby" wine drinkers and winemakers. These guys have fun with their wine because they have fun making and drinking it.

When Ryan introduced himself, he told the crowd he began making wine six years ago because "I discovered that I could make my own alcohol."

Kenny has honed his winemaking skills at Hallcrest Vineyards/Organic Wine Works in Felton and started two labels of his own — Hobo Wine Co. and Banyan Wines. Banyan produces white wines designed to pair well with Asian cuisine. Hobo focuses on zinfandel.

Ryan comes from a long history of grape growers in the Santa Cruz Mountains. His winery, Beauregard Vineyards, is making several chardonnays, merlot, zinfandel and pinot noir.

Both of these guys are making awesome wine. While neither has produced many vintages, their knowledge is beyond their years (Kenny is 30 and Ryan is 29).

Each winemaker poured four wines, and each wine offered a unique juxtaposition to the tasting.

These winemakers are catering to the young wine drinker by making wines you can drink now. Very few young wine drinkers buy wine they intend to save for years and years.

The tasting began with Kenny’s 2002 viognier — a varietal grown predominately in the Rhone Valley of France but gaining popularity in America with the ABC crowd — anything but chardonnay. Like chardonnay, it can take well to oak-aging. However, it’s earthier and spicier than its counterpart. Kenny’s was just that — lively, spicy, grassy and rustic — and sourced from Madera.

He proceeded to pour a 2003 gewurztraminer (Monterey County), a 2002 zinfandel and a non-vintage zinfandel-based ruby port (both from the Dry Creek Valley).

Many at the tasting wondered why Kenny had two labels, particularly why one is called Hobo. He explained he has no vineyards or winemaking facility of his own. He must rent and buy everything, therefore he travels all over the state looking for grapes and places to make wine like a hobo goes from town to town trying to survive.

Kenny has a Thai background and Banyan is the name of a tree native to the country. He wants to represent his heritage, but also make wines that go well with various Asian foods.

Ryan arrived with two chardonnays, a pinot noir and a zinfandel. Ryan’s chardonnays are only getting better since the last time I tasted them in June. The highlight of the tasting was his 2002 Appellation Blend, made entirely from Santa Cruz Mountains chardonnay. It has the acidic backbone to stand up to several years in a cellar, but is totally drinkable now. It’s earthy and grassy with a lot of green apple and citrus flavors. The ABC crowd would be intrigued with this effort.

Ryan promotes the Santa Cruz County area of the Santa Cruz Mountains with great passion. He wants all of his wines to be grown and made here in Santa Cruz. That’s why he will no longer source pinot noir from the famous Hirsch Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast.

His 2002 bottling will be his last (he will continue to make pinot noir from local fruit), and it’s going fast. Most Hirsch pinot noirs retail for $60 to over $100, but Ryan sells his for $35. It’s a study in flavors and aromas of vanilla, cherry and red apple and it passes the test with honors.

The event would not have been complete, however, without the grumblings of a seasoned wine connoisseur.

This older wine drinker felt he had to "impart" his knowledge from many years of wine drinking on the two young winemakers. Surely he intended it out of the kindness of his big wine-loving heart, but it became a nuisance. He constantly interrupted Kenny and Ryan when they were explaining their wines or the type of grape, interjecting his "facts" on various wine-related subjects.

This man’s attitude is precisely the reason the wine business has trouble marketing to twentysomethings.

Many young people scoff at the idea of a glass of wine over a beer or mixed drink because there exists a feeling that drinking wine makes you a snob of some sort. Or, you need to be a snob to drink wine. It’s a fallacy, but some people believe it. Young people just want to drink wine, they don’t really care what country the grape is native to, or what kind of barrel it was aged in.

This "expert" could not, however, ruin the fact that everyone was drinking "killer" wines.

Windy Oaks produces 1,000 cases of pinot noir and 100 cases of chardonnay from their 15-acre estate vineyard. Their cool-climate vineyard is ideal for growing these two varietals.

Winemaker Judith Schultze describes their pinot noir as "elegant and feminine — Burgundian in nature." Visit their Web site (www.windyoaksestate.com) for directions and information about the winery.

Max DeNike is 23, works for a winery and believes wine isn’t just for old people. Contact him at mdeniken@santacruzsentinel.com.