Behind the vine
Savannah Mills - Quaintrelle Wines & Brick House Vineyards - Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?
It was a slow burn, not a wake-up one day and 'a-ha'! Early on, the most impactful people were my aunt and my uncle, Doug. My aunt was a journalist and she had been a world traveler. I remember going to visit her in Portland while I was in high school and I got to go and meet Doug at his winery, Brick House.
Still, it took a while for the connection to click. I went into event planning after college, and while I had a toe in Oregon, Colorado was my home. That changed when I came out to run a Thanksgiving event at Brick House in 2011. 2011 was a wild year. Harvest had started so late they still had fermenters going when I arrived mid-month. It was the first chance I had to get dirty - fill barrels, dig out fermenters, and the like. When it was time to go, I cried all the way to the airport. With my aunt and uncle's encouragement, I started making plans for a move. In August of 2013, I gave notice and moved to Oregon for my first harvest.
That harvest was foundational. I didn't know the production side of wine, but spending 10 years in a cubicle and then being given the opportunity to work hard and be outdoors filled a hole in my life. It confirmed that I was where I belonged. Production helped me rediscover who I was.
What story does your wine tell?
Quaintrelle is really my place to play. Brick House is established and it's about executing a vision, but Quaintrelle is a young brand, so it's not a prescribed recipe.
Quaintrelle means a woman who emphasizes a life of passion expressed through personal style, leisurely pastimes, charm, and a cultivation of life’s pleasures. It is a lighter, flirtier interpretation of Pinot Noir, so the name and the style match. It's my interpretation of Pinot Noir, where, vintage by vintage, I try to learn how all the variables are coming together for a snapshot of that year. When the grapes hit the winery, you become a chef. How do I best showcase these ingredients?
At the end of the day, I want the wine to evoke pleasure, fun, and joy. It's all about cultivating life's pleasures. I want it to be as approachable for a pasta party of one when your partner or friend is out of town, or to take to a gathering. I want it to bring joy to your table.
“When you come into production you don't know what you don't know - even about yourself. When I did it, I knew - this was my home, this is what I care about. It was filling a hole in me”
— Savannah Mills
What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?
The biggest mission I'm after detangling is that you don't have to have a lot of knowledge to find and have fun with good wine. Price and quality are not always linked - there's value and enjoyment at every price point. I don't appreciate the specificity that intimidates some people out of certain price points. If you invest in a $50 bottle, I want you to get a return on that, but you don't need to break the bank. Use your resources - somms, wine shop workers - I want to pull apart the idea that you need to know a buzzword to ask a somm a question.
What great things about wine do you think people should remember?
Wine, at its core, is an agricultural product. It's humble. It must be grown, cultivated, harvested, and then transformed. In Oregon, where we have vintage variation, people ask “what are the great years?”, but it's like - great year to who? There are advantages to all of them. Wine should be fun and it should be a source of pleasure and joy for everyone.
What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?
Be aware of what you're good at and then be open to the necessity of learning new skills. I adore the puzzle of production, and my logistics and planning background certainly helps in this industry, but you can't warp the creative side or the will of Mother Nature into an excel sheet. Be available to investigate, embrace, and cultivate new muscles.
Who is a woman that inspired you?
So many! At the moment I’m thoroughly enjoying Arlyn wines from Janis Pate. She embodies putting farming first and it shows in the glass. Also, my friend Erin Troxell, the Viticulturalist of her family’s winery Galen Glen in Pennsylvania is doing cool stuff.
Where can women find your wine?
Online or in the UK with A&B Vintners.