Episode 5: Winemaker Stories - Ric Forman -Innovator, pioneer and still making wine after 57 vintages!

This series is titled ‘Winemaker Series’ and its intent is to share the personal stories of the individual rather than be focused on a particular topic, they are the topic. We will delve into the personal stories of winemakers as well as long time professionals within the great wine-world.

This episode is an interview with Ric Forman of Forman Vineyards (YOU NEED TO CLICK THIS!) who was one of the first winemakers to use French Oak barrels in American winemaking, barrel fermenting chardonnay, sur lees aging, applying classic winemaking techniques in production (barrel to barrel racking), helped introduce silicon barrel bungs used in wine barrel aging, developed and adopted auto-pump-over devices now ubiquitous in modern wineries and many other innovations. As a young man he was drawn to science and nearly killed himself and burned his home down, which led him to UC Davis where he pursued the science of wine. He has a long list of pioneering wineries that he worked at (Stony Hill , Robert Mondavi, Sterling, Newton) before beginning to develop the site and land that would eventually become his Home-Winery = a true reflection of his winemaking style as well his wine’s Terroir. He is undoubtably a winemaker that was the right person at the right time, inquisitive , fearless and has continues to create what he loves.

Available on SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oai77TWKhzZT1dzacARz6