Kelly Wood - winemaker and bada$$

All things Kelly Woods:

Do you remember your first wine experience?

Being from Santa Maria, I grew up visiting tasting rooms with my family. I always looked forward to spending those days with my parents, brother, cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles, picnicking on beautifully manicured patios surrounded by vineyards and having a great day. Mind you, this was looooong before I fully realized what wine actually was! Thinking back, I was fortunate to have cut my wine teeth on the fabulous wines of Rancho Sisquoc, Zaca Mesa, Foxen, and so many other great wineries of the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valley.

When did you decide to get into the line of work?

Wine was a happy accident for me. I grew up wanting to be a veterinarian and I knew that UC Davis had the best vet school. As a stubborn, hardheaded, independent young person, I made the choice as a 9 year old that I would be attending UCD. Fast forward to my junior year of high school when I started working in a vet clinic and realized that wasn’t the path for me. But I still wanted to attend UC Davis...so, a family friend suggested that I go into the winemaking program there. I checked the Viticulture & Enology box on my application and jumped in headfirst without fully understanding what I was getting myself into (So. Much. Chemistry.) And I fell completely and utterly in love with it.

Were there any hurdles you had to overcome?

My biggest hurdle has been myself...and believing in myself. I think in any industry we compare ourselves to others which we shouldn’t do. I am my own individual with my own style of winemaking and my own distinct experiences to bring to the table.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

I’ve been thinking about that more and more these days. Being recently let go of my dream job due to a change in ownership and the new owners deciding not to retain any of the original employees, I’ve got so many ideas for my future! I may start my own label or head off to Europe to study under the best Champagne producers or do some consulting for smaller family wineries or do all of the above! The world is my wineglass right now!

What should we know about your winemaking style?

My goal when making any wine is to let the vintage, varietal and vineyard site shine in the glass! Wine is not Coca Cola and shouldn’t be made year in and year out by a cut and paste recipe for consistency. I love taking the challenges of each harvest and respecting the fruit and the terroir to make the best quality of wine possible! One of my favorite experiences is to open a bottle of wine that I’ve made and reflect back on the vineyard and the vintage and appreciate it and relive the memories (good, bad, and otherwise!).