Behind the vine

Quincy Barton - Texas, USA

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

To me, I've always loved gardening. Taking care of plants is so therapeutic. Regular biology or chemistry didn't make sense to me, but plant biology always made sense. Even so, I never thought this was what I'd do. I studied general agriculture at Texas A&M and I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I loved the biology of agriculture. Soil and crop sciences always interested me, and when I got to the end of my sophomore year and was required to do a study abroad, I found a program in Italy to study Food, Wine and International Gardens.

We got to the Tuscany area and on the 3rd or 4th day we had a field trip to an agriturismo with a full organic farm and vineyard. It was this amazing property owned and operated by a man who made his own wine with the grapes. We ended up doing a wine tasting with him, and it was at that tasting that I knew this was what I wanted to do. You could tell that this project was the love of his life, and I was struck by how passionate he was. I remember thinking that working in this space meant I can be outside and if I'm lucky, I can create something I'm super proud of like this man has.

What story does your wine tell?

I recently started working in a vineyard with exclusively Italian varieties, and what I love about our project is it's a restoration project. The vineyard we’re tending hasn't been well-managed for the past decade, so it's a fun challenge to get the place back up and running to produce a great yield. I think of it like a shelter dog - there’s so much potential in it, you just want to work with it and try to get the best from it. I love how resilient vines are - they are strong, fighters, they grow in some of the harshest environmental conditions in the world, and even when they haven’t had the best care, they have a lot of fight left in them.

Being in Texas, a lot of people had approached vine management as just another grow crop. We want to push towards Organic and treat vines as more of a horticultural ornament. I love the idea of avoiding chemicals to be great stewards of the vines and the environment here. We brainstorm ways of how to treat Earth better.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

I've struggled with the idea that a wine has to have a high price tag to be of quality. I've learned there are some amazing wines that don't have a high price tag, and some very expensive that just aren't for me. In Texas, where wine is relatively new, people approach it with hesitation. People think they have to know everything about wine to go out and taste and understand your tastes. I understand being intimidated by that, but you shouldn't be scared about it. It's a bit like when you go to the gym and are out of shape, you think people are critiquing you, but a lot of people just want to sit and have that conversation and there's no judgement on how much or how little you know.

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

I think back to the first day I was in Italy, in my first wine tasting, and we were all women in my course, but had never met each other before . So we're all shy and quiet, but after all the wine starts flowing, everyone is talking and chatting and laughing. That's what wine is - it's a really social product that brings people together. When you’re talking about wine, it has a way of pulling out deeper conversations and connections. It's about getting close to people and creating community. That's what we miss in quarantine - having wine nights that give you quality time with all the people.

With vines, I’ve used the metaphor to compare vines to women. I refer to the vine as the mother and the fruit are her children. She's giving all these nutrients and making sure the grapes ripen. It really mirrors that feminine role, they have to be tough and take a lot on.

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

I would say, the biggest struggle I still deal with is that constant imposter syndrome. When beginning any job, if you're the only woman out there, it's crazy how much you can get in your head and think things like I don't know what I'm doing. One person with one comment can make you doubt anything, but my advice is to work through it. Keep working through that feeling, and you'll find you're a better fit than some men are for this job. As women, we need to understand that we have so many different characteristics to offer in a positive way. After all, what is taking care of vines? It's nurturing, and that's what we've been told women are great at, and that in itself is a huge thing.

Who is a woman in wine who inspires you?

Barbara Lecuona - she just opened a winery in Fredericksburg called Siboney Cellars and she was the first woman I saw in this industry who was not intimidated, she just went for it. She was really supportive of me and another girl promoting that we need more women doing this. I crossed paths with her when I was doubting what to do, and she was really a great cheerleader for me. She was very supportive and encouraging of me, telling me you know what you're doing, if you don't know what you're doing, learn, but don't be scared by it.

Where can women find your wine?

Austin Winery accepts all of our fruit. We love what they do and are proponents of the same things we are so it’s a great partnership. We trust them with what we've been working with.