It was Thursday night. I was in high school. Dad had enrolled in a wine appreciation course at Neiman Marcus with his good friend Buddy. The two of them came back to our house and waxed eloquently about all they had heard and learned, all the while laughing uproariously about what I’m not really sure. These Thursday wine evening went on for 12 weeks. The only thing I learned was that they loved these evenings and looked forward to them each week. It was “Thursday Wine Nights” that enkindled my interest in learning about why wine seemed to inspire such a joy for living.
Now at Stanford and falling in love with my bride-to be, Barbara, we began journeys to Napa. Hey, we couldn’t study all the time. So, we got to know the Christian Bros., BV, Mondavi, Beringer, Charles Krug and a smattering of others. At the time, interminably long winery tours were the norm (how interesting is your fourth barrel room?) followed by a minuscule pour of one wine. But hey, it was free and we loved it all.
Invariably, post tasting, we would grab a bottle at a winery visit, haul out our picnic supplies and retreat to a vineyard where we would have lunch under the sun and surrounded by vines. It was heaven.
We said to one another that one day we would open a winery.
In the intervening years, we went on a lot of wine vacations with good friends. Napa, Sonoma, Willamette Valley, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, Argentina, did I say Italy? and Chile were among the places we explored as we tried to learn more about more wines from more places.
Eventually all five of our children graduated from college and were more or less on their own. I was able to peer far enough down the road to see retirement. “It’s time,” I said to Barbara. “So, are we really serious about this?”, she responded. “As serious as an ‘82 Bordeaux,” I replied.
Fortunately, a little fate intervened and our good friends the Papert’s invited us out to Cambria where they had moved. They drove us first to the East side of Paso Robles. Then they gave us more than a glimpse of the West side. Barbara and I looked at each other and said, “this is the place.”
Sixmilebridge Vineyards: Purchased in 2012. Planted in 2013. First harvest 2016. First bottle sold in 2019. Second Vineyard purchased 2018. Tasting Room opened in 2020. Third Vineyard planted in 2022. First wine made in our cellar in 2024.
It’s been a long and winding road, just like Peachy Canyon and filled with barrels full of laughter and joy. Our glass is way more than half full and our journey is far from over.
Slainte,
Jim