The evolution of loew wines
Photo by Aaron Spicer Photography
As a winemaker, I often get a lot of questions about the style of wines I make, my favorite wine to drink, and the best wines on our wine list. Recently, I’ve felt like it was about time that I share with you what to expect with the wines at our winery. But, in order to do so, I have to start from the beginning.
I think it is important for me to recognize that I’ve had a lot of opportunities by working at my family’s winery. I’ve been able to develop my skill as a winemaker, mostly by learning from and working alongside my grandfather for over a decade until he passed away in 2022. Because of this, I’ve had the privilege to be able to create beautiful wines that carefully bond my family’s history with my evolution as a person and a winemaker.
Before my grandfather passed away, it was my responsibility to make wine the way my grandfather taught me. My grandparents and I would curate blends and discuss them before bottling. After my grandfather passed away, my main motivation has been to create the highest quality wines with that same methodology and with honoring my grandfather and his family’s legacy.
Recently, I’ve tasted through our wines and I’ve been surprised to see how my voice and personality has become more present in each wine from vintage to vintage. The first moment I saw myself in a wine was our 2021 Cabernet Franc. Although these grapes are grown in Maryland, it has notes of spice that are reminiscent to me of the red wines in Paso Robles, CA. As an 18-19 year old, I was obsessed with Paso Robles red wines until I started tasting wines from Rioja, Umbria, Tokaji, Ticino, etc. This wine also has the concentration and aromatics of wines you’d expect from the Loire Valley, where I worked in 2014. I’m sure most winemakers can’t say they see their teenage self in a wine they produce, definite perks of growing up in the wine industry. Youth is juxtaposed with tradition in all of our wines. Above all, each wine embodies complex wisdom—which is the aspect of tradition that my grandfather taught me.
Our 2022 vintage reflected another element in our wines, mostly due to the intense grief from my grandfather’s passing. My grandmother recently recalled the saying, “the price of love is grief.” I poured that grief into making our wines. It seemed true when I taste our 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon. My grandfather used to make spectacular Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a stoic nature with elegance and the perfect balance of fruit to earth. It reminds me of him—proving to me that I am an extension of my grandfather.
The 2023 wines are blossoming beautifully and bring us into a new stage for our family’s winery. Even though we are a well-seasoned winery, we are evolving. Throughout 2024, you will begin to see (and taste) our new lines of wines and meads. As one of the youngest head winemakers in the state (and arguably the east coast), I know that ten years from now, I will be making wines that stem from a more mature perspective than the wines I made in 2023. That understanding provides an essence of excitement for each harvest, with a motivation to strive to make wines that are even more beautiful than the previous vintage.