Meet Christina Lopez: Winemaker at Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards
This interview has been edited for clarity and was featured in the July 26, 2023 issue of Merobebe.
Merobebe
What's your favorite wine-themed movie or book?
Christina Lopez
Definitely Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch or Uncorking the Past by Patrick McGovern. I can’t choose!
Merobebe
If you could have any celebrity as a personal sommelier, who would it be?
Christina Lopez
Are writers celebrities? I think I’d choose a booze expert like Hemingway. I’d be really interested to see his approach to a wine description. It’s a bummer I’d have to go back in time to find out.
Merobebe
If you could have any superpower related to wine, what would it be?
Christina Lopez
Winemaking is 98% cleaning. If I could clean up and sanitize with the snap of a finger, that would free up more time for the fun stuff.
Merobebe
What initially inspired you to work in the wine industry?
Christina Lopez
I grew up in Sonoma County but had no connection to nor realized that I lived in wine country. Like many young adults, I had no idea what I wanted to take on as a career out of high school. I was trying things out and really fell for the science involved in the medical field.
Originally, I went to school to become a radiologic technologist, which is just a fancy way of saying x-ray tech. Once I finished all my prerequisites, it was time to apply to the program which was lottery based. I didn’t get in on my first attempt and I decided to continue taking classes to stay fresh.
I took a wine class because it sounded fun. I was intrigued enough to take a tasting room job in Healdsburg and became interested in what happened behind the scenes. I did my first harvest in 2014 and never looked back!
Winemaking is the perfect culmination of disciplines. Science, history, art, philosophy, culture, etc. all come together in one 750 mL bottle, and we get to share that perspective year to year. No vintage is the same, it is never static, so you’re always adapting. For me, the mental agility required is what makes winegrowing so addicting.
Merobebe
You mention that wine is "the perfect culmination" of science, history, art, philosophy, and culture. Can you elaborate a little bit more on that?
Christina Lopez
New evidence has found that vine domestication happened about 11,000 years ago. This implies that wine has been around for just as long. It’s even more fair to say that winemaking has been a profession for at least 8,000 years. That’s a long time for one product to evolve!
Acquiesce's vineyards in March
There is more than one way to make wine and I guarantee there’s been hot debates on which is better over those thousands of years. This is the philosophical aspect. There’s generational knowledge, written text, tradition, art pieces, religion, and poetry all surrounding wine. This covers art and history. We see how wine is embedded in culture as a staple on dinner tables across Europe.
Then, there’s the hard science that we’ll never be able to figure out because each wine is its own individual complex matrix. While a lot of winemaking is intuition – and I think this is what separates good winemakers from great winemakers – knowing basic science is just as important. The same thing that grabbed me on the rad tech path is what draws me to winemaking. The science. Being comfortable with the fundamentals of chemistry and microbiology are crucial in my opinion.
Winemaking pulls from all of these disciplines. Knowing that it’s not just one is the mindset I go into every harvest with.
Merobebe
You work not only with a woman-owned winery, but at a winery that focuses on white wines only! What interested you in working at Acquiesce Winery?
Christina Lopez
No lie, it took some convincing! I had the same stereotypical viewpoint on Lodi as many people do – I thought it was just a place for low-end bulk wine. After some digging, I found that Lodi is rich in history and highly underrated. A hotter climate, yes (it’s actually not much different than Napa). But with the right varieties, great wines are made here.
I saw Lodi as an underdog, and the efforts of the community to change that initial perspective. Then, within Lodi, you had Acquiesce who challenges the status quo in every aspect; all white wines in zinfandel country, woman owned, varieties I’ve never heard of before. Just this general rebellious spirit. I really gravitated towards that and embraced the challenge, knowing that I’d regret it forever if I turned down the opportunity. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Merobebe
For the red wine lovers out there, what about white wine made you want to focus more on it? What's special about white wine vs red wine? Help me convince the red winos to give white wines a chance!
Christina Lopez
That used to be me, and I think it comes down to the options in the US.
Consumers are presented with 2 main options when it comes to white wine: chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. The California style of chardonnay is polarizing, and sauvignon blanc can be too up front for some. I’d say people are less familiar with other well-known varieties like riesling or viognier, so being limited to 2 options causes them to generalize about white wines and not seek them out.
I jumped on the Rhone train while working and getting my degree up in Walla Walla. This is where I started to hear about and become interested in these dark horse varieties. The stars aligned when I got linked up with Acquiesce and got the opportunity to feed that curiosity. I’ve had a ton of fun getting to know the personalities of these rare, obscure varieties and watching the light bulb go on when people taste the wines. There are thousands of different grape varieties out there to only be confined to only a handful. I’d say keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to explore outside your comfort zone.
Merobebe
Tell us a little bit about the lesser known white varietals you have at Acquiesce, like picpoul and roussanne. Is there a varietal you think would be a good starting point for sauvy b lovers or chardonnay lovers?
Christina Lopez
Oh man, how much time do you all have? I’ll do my best to sum it up.
Focusing on white Rhone varieties, we have the standards that people might be more familiar with such as viognier and roussanne. We also have the more obscure – like clairette blanche and bourboulenc. The reason these are so rare is that in France, they usually get co-fermented (thrown together) then put in blends, so no one knows what to expect from them on their own.
My first year, I was studying up on and trying to get to know all these varieties, but there was no literature to be found! They both have really fun flavor profiles – savory aspects you don’t expect from white wines. Picpoul is our most acidic variety by a long shot. Its literal translation is “lip stinger”. I’ve found it to be polarizing to customers. Some love it, and some pass on it. For all those sour beer lovers out there, this is a wine worth trying. We even made a sparkling version which is delicious.
Grenache blanc is a versatile food wine, veers towards apple and pear on the palate, and is an amazing blending grape. Roussanne is our princess grape – extremely difficult to grow but our most rewarding. It’s full bodied on the palate with marzipan and green tea. It can also go the distance; I recently had a ’99 from Cline and it was exceptional.
When people tell me they typically go for sauv blanc and chardy, I always ask what they like about each of those wines and point them towards one of ours that fits that profile. For California chardy lovers who dig butter and oak, I steer them towards our Roussanne because it’s rich, round, and can form a vanilla character even though we use no oak on our wines. If they like Chablis (note: a French chardonnay with no oak), I’m giving them picpoul.
For those New Zealand style sauv blanc heads, our new Jolie blend has all the tropical fruit they desire, just without the grassy elements. Those that like the Sancerre style, I’ll point them towards bourboulenc or grenache blanc.
Generally, I’d say they need to come to Acquiesce and try them all!
Merobebe
You do sometimes make red wines. How do you pick which varietal(s) will become the sole red wine of the season?
Christina Lopez
I guess the secret’s out about Outlier!
We grow grenache (and a newly planted block of cinsault) for our rose program. 2021 was my first year at Acquiesce and we had a little more grenache than expected. So, we figured, what the hell, let’s make a red!
Since these grapes are farmed for rose production, the result was a lighter-bodied, nuanced summer red very much aligned with the Acquiesce ethos. Outlier is a sub-label that we use as an outlet for the unorthodox (relative to Acquiesce norms.) In 2022, I tweaked the red a little compared to 2021, but each year will be something different. We have something up our sleeve for 2023, so stay tuned.
Merobebe
Are there any differences you notice in working with a woman-owned winery?
Christina Lopez
I can’t speak for all women owned wineries, with this being the first one I’ve worked at, but I have noticed some differences. There’s this general relaxed state of mind, like everything is going to work out, we have the capacity to adapt, and we’re prepared to act when necessary. There’s emphasis on the fine details that add up in the bigger picture that I’ve seen many others overlook.
We’re not trying to overpower anything or force things in our favor, there’s focus on what is in our control. We are working with nature after all, you can’t beat it out, you have to take it as it comes, and make the best of it.
Enhanced communication and support are other ones. Sue and I are always quadruple checking ourselves and each other to make sure we’re on the same track. We bounce thoughts and always find consensus. She supports my wild ideas allowing me to succeed or learn from my mistakes.
Merobebe
Have you experienced challenges being a woman of color in the white male-dominated wine industry?
Christina Lopez
James Brown knew it; this is a man’s world. I learned this a long time ago on the playground. Girls had to prove themselves before they were respected by the boys, and this mindset has been ingrained in me ever since.
Starting out as a cellar hand, this meant working twice as hard to get on even playing ground. Even on “equal” footing, there’s pay scale differences. About 6 years ago, I remember being in the break room when one of my coworkers found out that she was paid over a dollar less an hour than a male co-worker with the same amount of experience.
These are the realities of women in a male dominated industry regardless of color. It’s a bumpy road getting them to take you seriously. I’ve been lucky and had some amazing male mentors that backed me up, but that never changed my efforts. My strategy has been to have a goal, stay focused, and be confident in your capabilities.
Merobebe
Anything else you'd like to share about your story, the winery, or the industry?
Christina Lopez
Keep wine fun! There’s a whole world of wines out there; form your own opinion, expand your palate, and challenge yourself to discover something new.