Behind the vine

Cathy Corison - Corison Winery - Napa, California, USA

When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?

I know the exact moment I fell in love with wine. I was studying to be a marine biologist at Pomona College in Claremont and on a whim I signed up for a wine appreciation course. In that course wine just grabbed me and ran. I fell in love with wine for all the usual reasons - it's delicious, you share it with people - but what really hooked me was that wine is the result of a series of living systems that collaborate in an alchemical way. After that, I tried to learn as much as I could about wine.

Two years after that course, I graduated and within 2 days I was in Napa. I worked half-time in the Valley and would go over the hill to UC Davis where I joined the master's program. I've been making wine here in the Napa Valley ever since.

What story does your wine tell?

I made wine for other people for a long time, most notably at Chappellet Vineyards, but there was a wine inside my head that was dying to get out. I've always found Cabernet to be the most interesting at the intersection of power and elegance. When you find those characteristics in the glass at the same time, it's amazing. That's the wine I was chasing, and that's the wine that I create today for Corison Winery on the Rutherford Bench.

The Rutherford Bench has alluvial soils washed down from the hills and by going there I was able to make the wines I was looking for. It's Cabernet, so it's still big, but the tannins are velvety and the wines have a snappy, natural acidity. They exhibit the entire spectrum of what Cabernet can be from red to blue to black fruits and a beautiful floral perfume.

All of my grapes are grown between Rutherford and St. Helena and they are all closely related, but each vineyard has its own characteristics. Each vineyard brings something new and ripens on its own trajectory, depending on what Mother Nature gives us. I want my wines to speak of where they grew and the vintage they grew in. The wonderful thing about wine is that it speaks about time and space in the present and into the future.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

Consumers don't need to know anything about wine. Winemakers need to know a lot about wine. Somms need to know a lot about wine. All a consumer needs to know is what they like. Wine can meet you anywhere. If it only needs to wash down your food, it is really good at that, or you can dive in and study for WSET or a Master of Wine. It's really infinite.

All you really need is a good retailer or a good somm and you can broaden what you enjoy or enjoy a masterful pairing. It's their job to help demystify wine for you, not make it intimidating. Just say: this is what I like, this is my budget - show me something.

What great things about wine do you think people should remember?

First of all, wine is for sharing. It's for enjoying withe friends and family. I often say, 'If you didn't pull the cork on a bottle, was it ever made'? I can't imagine dinner without wine, it's just part of that landscape. It's delicious and it tells a story. Wine has an amazing ability to tie people together and there's a cultural component that's really important.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?

You have to be passionate and you have to be a little crazy - this is not an easy business. If you've got both of those characteristics, just start walking. Don't overthink it. At every juncture in life there are forks in the path, and you take the one that makes sense at the time. People tend to overthink things too much, but there are a lot of ways to have a good life in wine.

Who is a woman in wine you think everyone should know about?

Zelma Long. I got to Napa in the mid-70s and she was already a pioneer in winemaking here. I think of her as a trailblazer for women in wine and I believe that having her in that position and being able to see her in the winery when I arrived meant more to me than I previously realized. Now, I fully see how important it was to see a woman prominently making wine, and Zelma was that woman for me.

Where can women find your wine?

You can order it direct on our site. We sell 70% DTC with our club and through our website, and to visitors to the winery. We are right on the highway in Napa Valley. The rest goes out into distribution in some fine wine shops, and in restaurants all over the world.