Story Behind the Name – Part Two

Ever wonder about the story behind the name? Especially when the name makes you stop and think, “what does that mean or how did they come up with that name?”

In part two of the Story Behind the Name, we’ll explore the why and how of the naming of several more wineries along the Wine Road. We will also discover the passions that inspired theses names.

 

ACTA Wines

The ACTA home page, shows “Welcome to ACTA” followed by “Deeds, not words. Everything is done with intention.” So where did the name ACTA come from? ACTA NON VERBA is Latin for “deeds not words.

Dustin Moilanen, ACTA’s winemaker and co-founder, explains the winery is a collective of “passionate people with experience trying to make the best wines we can with what is available to us.

“We call our winery ACTA, a saying I have been familiar with and appreciative of for years, to highlight the care, intent, thought and process behind every step of our farming, winemaking and how we choose to contribute to the community.” ACTA is about the deeds not the words, and its name reflects this philosophy. As Dustin said, “Authenticity over audacity.”

ACTA has a red wine blend called Deeds. This wine definitely reflects Dustin’s passion and philosophy, and is worth checking out if you enjoy Bordeaux blends.

 

aesthete wines

When I recently visited the newly opened aesthete tasting room and expansive grounds in Dry Creek Valley, I was impressed by the wines, the attention to detail in the buildings and grounds, and the family and staff’s gracious hospitality. I was also very curious to the meaning of the name and why it was chosen.

The definition of aesthete is “a refined sensitivity toward the beauties of art and nature, with indifference to practical matters.” The definition just added to my curiosity about the decision to name the winery aesthete.

Owner Jeff Jones gave me an in-depth explanation, which I’ll attempt to summarize without losing the passion behind Jeff’s answer.

Jeff said he and winemaker Jesse Katz share the same philosophy of “nothing is worth doing if you’re not going to give it your all and attempt to be and create the best.” This philosophy, coupled with Jeff’s appreciation for beautiful things, including wines that are best described as elegant and beautiful, led to naming the brand “aesthete.”

With this mindset, Jeff and Jesse have created the most beautiful wines possible with grapes from Jeff’s Dry Stack Vineyards, often ignoring the practical aspects of profitability or cash flow. The payoff is rave reviews from the wine media, including 97-point score from the Wine Advocate for the aesthete 2019 Barrel Aged Sauvignon Blanc. They’ve also heard rave reviews from visitors to the tasting room. Visitors love the wines, the beautiful grounds, the colorful chickens and playful goats, and the chance to sit along Dry Creek as they sip.

I’m glad Jeff’s sense of aesthete and his Dry Stack Vineyards led him to aesthete wines.

 

BACA Wines

If you’re looking for Zinfandel Mecca, BACA should be on your list. They produce eight Zinfandels from seven different appellations, including two from Dry Creek Valley, one from the Rockpile AVA, and another from Russian River Valley. But how did a winery specializing in Zinfandel end up with a name like BACA?

Here’s what I learned:
Baca is the Latin word for berry. Zinfandel grapes are often referred to as berries due to both the botanical terms of berries and the flavors that come from the grapes. BACA started with one mission in mind: to make luxury Zinfandels that are nuanced and honest. Wine for people who are curious, adventuresome, lovers of life, with a gleam in their eyes and a penchant for the uncharted.

If this resonates with you, add BACA to your list of “must visit” wineries on your next trip along the Wine Road.

 

Bellacana Vineyards

Bellacana was the first Native American tribal owned winery in California and the United States. Micah Wirth, the estate manager, explained the winery’s name combines words from two cultures. “Bella” is Italian for beautiful, and “cana” means water flow in the tribe’s southern Pomo language. Bellacana translates to beautiful river, a reflection of the tribe’s estate vineyard located in the heart of Alexander Valley, where the Russian River bisects the vineyard.

Owned by the Dry Creek Rancheria Pomo Indian Tribe, Bellacana Vineyards is located on ancestral ground. The Russian River gives both beauty and nurturing water flow to the surrounding landscape, including more than 138 acres of Bellacana estate-grown Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Bellacana produces wines from the finest block within the vineyard, with the remaining grapes being sold to other local wineries.

To taste Bellacana wines, stop by their Windsor tasting room, just a block away from the town green.

 

Benovia Winery

Located in Russian River Valley, Benovia specializes in small production Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but they also produce several other varietals and a sparkling wine. When the winery was being developed, winemaker and co-owner Mike Sullivan deferred the naming of it to proprietors Mary Dewane and Joe Anderson.

Mary and Joe had been taught by their fathers that hard work brings its own rewards. That you should always be the best at what you do. Always surround yourself with good people, and let them get to work. And, never produce anything you wouldn’t be proud of.

In honor of their fathers and the lessons they gave them that led to their life successes, Mary and Joe named the winery after their fathers, Ben Dewane and Novian Anderson. Combining their names to create Benovia.

To honor their mothers, Mary and Joe named the estate vineyard and winery location Martaella for Martha Anderson and Eleanor Dewane. If you want to try the Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir grown in Martaella Vineyard, be sure to book your tasting reservation soon.

 

Capo Creek Ranch & Winery

Mary Roy and Bob Covert found choosing a name for their winery to be more difficult and less fun than they had expected. Their trademark attorney rejected several of their proposed names because they were too similar to other non-wine businesses.

Going back to square one, Mary and Bob decided to be creative and find a name that reflected the two things close to their hearts: music and balance. They both had a deep love for music, and decided a guitar would be the centerpiece of their wine label. As for the balance portion, after raising six children along with both of them having demanding careers as physicians, they knew balance was a necessity in their hectic lives. They wanted to find a name that also reflected balance.

Mary said, “We landed on the name “E String Cellars,” capturing our love of music and the highs and lows of life, symbolized by the highest and lowest E strings on a guitar.” Unfortunately, just a month after selecting the winery name, Mary found an ad for E String Vaginal Cream while looking through a medical magazine. Not wanting that association, they started over again.

On a winter hike across their 50-acre Dry Creek Valley property, Mary and Bob discovered a seasonal creek with cascading waterfalls and rocky outcroppings. Inspired, they decided to name their winery Capo Creek. Mary explained, “A capo is used on a guitar to change pitch—a fitting symbol of our ability to embrace change, go with the flow, and find harmony in life’s highs and lows.”

 

More to the Story Behind the Name

To add to the story behind the name, Mary and Bob’s nature walk and seasonal creek discovery gave them both a nasty case of poison oak. Confirming life’s highs and lows.

To enjoy a tasting at Capo Creek, book a reservation for the food and wine pairings and hear more stories about Mary and Bob’s adventures in life.

 

DaVero Farms & Winery

A visit this summer to DaVero allowed me to walk their extensive gardens, visit the pigs (yes, they have pigs) and taste a couple of their California-grown Italian varietals. The story behind their name, as with other wineries discussed here, is closely tied to their core values and mission.

DaVero’s mission statement states they’re “dedicated to nurturing a harmonious relationship between us and the land.” Which is closely tied to the meaning of their name. DaVero in Italian means “for real,” as in authentic or genuine.

The owners of DaVero chose that name to reflect their commitment to authenticity in everything they do — from biodynamic farming and regenerative agricultural practices to producing only Italian varietal wines and olive oils. This authenticity is also reflected in the guest experience, allowing visitors to walk and learn about their living farm in between tastes of wine.

If you’re looking for a deep dive into Italian varietals, DaVero produces Barbera, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Pinot Nero, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Fiano, Greco, Malvasia Bianca, Moscato, Pallagrello Bianco, Cannonau, Carignano, Primitivo and Vermentino. They are located just minutes from Healdsburg, in the southern portion of Dry Creek Valley.

 

Furthermore Wines

It’s not often you see a wine label with ellipse above the winery name. Furthermore owner Chad Richard explained, “We’re obsessed with California Pinot Noir. And, after people try our wines, we want to leave space for the wine drinkers to share what they think about our wines, which is one of the reasons for the ellipse on the label.”

The word furthermore is defined as “in addition, moreover, besides,” which works well for a winery that makes Pinot Noirs from six different appellations, and from some well-renowned vineyards like Gap’s Crown or Rosella’s.

So where does the name come into play in this story? Think of it like this: in addition to Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley, they can also share Pinot Noirs from five more well-regarded appellations. This allows wine tasters at Furthermore to compare and contrast the flavors of Pinot Noir grown in different terroirs and learn how regional difference effect the aromas and flavors in the wine. Furthermore . . . get it?

Furthermore has two locations. Their Healdsburg tasting lounge is open Thursday through Monday, and the Sebastopol winery tasting room is open daily.

 

Quivira Vineyards

Quivira (pronounced Kee-veer-ah) was founded in 1981 by Holly and Henry Wendt. The Wendts were drawn to Dry Creek Valley’s unspoiled rural character and rich history of wine grape growing. But it was the Wendt’s ancient map collection that inspired the winery’s name. One of their 16th century maps shows the mythical kingdom of Quivira in what is now known as Sonoma County. Legend has it that Quivira’s streets were paved with gold. The Wendts probably felt like they struck gold finding this slice of paradise.

In 2006, Pete and Terri Kight became the new owners of Quivira and retained the mythical name. Today, Quivira’s gold is the wines produced from the highest level of organic farming and biodiversity.

If you want to experience this slice of paradise, Quivira’s tasting room is  open Thursday through Monday for reservations, and walk-in guests are welcome. too.

 

The Story Behind the Name Continues

The thread running through these stories and those from part one is the reflection of the owner’s passion. Passion for perfection, passion for the lessons from parents, passion for the land, passion for sharing wines and allowing the taster to feel free to express their opinion, and more.

I’d encourage you to visit each of these wineries, and hear more about their stories and passions as you enjoy their wines.

 

Happy Sipping!