Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/74666
WINEMAKING left me with a silver spoon in my mouth, which I've melted down, and have been spending my time fixing up my new win- ery and launching my family namesake brand smaller, better and slower." Volk founded the Wild Horse winery, which he sold to Constellation Brands. makes Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with grapes from the Paso Robles, Calif., region where he operates a second tasting room. He also has a strong interest in al- ternative—or what he calls "heirloom"— grape cultivars, which include Négrette, Malvasia and even more obscure varieties such as Gros Verdot and Cabernet Pfeffer. As Volk writes on his winery's web- site, the self-described "artist previously known with the horse label" took the opportunity to reinvent himself in the wine industry. "My previous industry job Renovating a fixer-upper winery When Volk purchased the Byron prop- erty in 2004, it was a simple lap-sided fir building with little winery infrastructure. Volk replaced the original iron drains, installed new insulation and purchased a full set of new wine equipment, sourcing primarily through Carlsen & Associates of Healdsburg, Calif. Other improvements included replumbing the water system and installing new ventilation. A major challenge with the property was something that's often a struggle in the dry Central Coast: water. Volk negotiated with Jackson Fam- ily Wines for a well in exchange for an easement along his property for a redone driveway. In some wine industry irony, Volk opened up the old Byron property to the owners of the new Byron Vineyards & Win- ery so he could secure the water for his new facility. In all, Volk said he invested $2.1 million for the property and put in more than $2 million for all the renovations and Volk makes a variety of wines from what he calls "heirloom varieties." upgrades. "We did a lot of work on how to make this property work," he said. The first vintage at the new Volk winery came in 2005. At the property, Volk has less than 5 acres of own-rooted, Wente clone Chardonnay. The winery is near its major vineyard sources that include Sierra Madre, Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills, Gar- ey Ranch and Nielsen Vineyard. In Paso Robles, Volk works with several growers including Danna Merrill and sources fruit from a unique Monterey County vineyard owned by the Enz family and known as Lime Kiln. In the 1800s the Monterey property was a quarry for limestone, and WINES & VINES AUGUST 2012 41