October 17 marks the 20th anniversary of the 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake, which was centered in Aptos about 3 miles from Salamandre. The injuries to living beings still scar our consciousness. While the physical damage can now only be detected by the geologist’s eye or the engineer’s squint, the earthquake certainly put a lasting stamp upon our fifth commercial harvest! We had harvested Carmine earlier in the day and settled down for the World Series, when of course everything tumbled down. I figure those grapes got crushed twice on the same day, and the wine became the backbone of Salamandre’s commemorative “Temblor,” with a label designed by my daughter, Sara*.
When the shaking stopped, I opened the winery door to behold a scene of chaos, softened by the wafting honeysuckle of fermenting Muscat Canelli flowing over the floor.
Quite a few of our neighbors stayed with us for several days, and with each significant aftershock, I played the role of Executioner in the French Revolution. I'd go down to the dungeon, and call out : “You there, you cowering aristocrat Lafitte…and Monsieur Margaux, sulking in the corner…and you, too, pompous Pommard…this is the end of your days. It's out with your corks and off with your heads!” Special occasions should be marked with wine!
Hard times followed for many people in our community for years after the earthquake, but we have largely healed, and we're all hopefully better braced for the next one.
We're entering Salamandre's 25th commercial harvest this Fall…but we prefer to toast this moment with no unplanned ripples in the glass.
Wells Shoemaker MD, Winemaker
*Sara Shoemaker Lind is a professional underwater photographer and artist in San Francisco. www.SaraShoemakerLind.com
The Santa Cruz Winegrowers Association, then a much smaller organization, decided to bottle a collaborative Epicenter Cuvee Chardonnay as a fund raiser, and we were delighted to contribute some Salamandre to that blend, too. After all, in our county, salamanders are everywhere in the winter.
When the shaking stopped, I opened the winery door to behold a scene of chaos, softened by the wafting honeysuckle of fermenting Muscat Canelli flowing over the floor.
Quite a few of our neighbors stayed with us for several days, and with each significant aftershock, I played the role of Executioner in the French Revolution. I'd go down to the dungeon, and call out : “You there, you cowering aristocrat Lafitte…and Monsieur Margaux, sulking in the corner…and you, too, pompous Pommard…this is the end of your days. It's out with your corks and off with your heads!” Special occasions should be marked with wine!
Hard times followed for many people in our community for years after the earthquake, but we have largely healed, and we're all hopefully better braced for the next one.
We're entering Salamandre's 25th commercial harvest this Fall…but we prefer to toast this moment with no unplanned ripples in the glass.
Wells Shoemaker MD, Winemaker
*Sara Shoemaker Lind is a professional underwater photographer and artist in San Francisco. www.SaraShoemakerLind.com
The Santa Cruz Winegrowers Association, then a much smaller organization, decided to bottle a collaborative Epicenter Cuvee Chardonnay as a fund raiser, and we were delighted to contribute some Salamandre to that blend, too. After all, in our county, salamanders are everywhere in the winter.