Friends of Wine Country, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jason Jenkins and I am a local, wine enthusiast who resides in this wonderful little city we call home.
Growing up in Petaluma, I had no idea that we were ever living in what, historically, used to be wine country. Nor, did I imagine that we would ever grow into one of the finest wine production AVA’s in the world. Today, it is my hope to bring readers into the world of wine - the local history, the industry, the news, events and the future.
As a direct descendant of General Mariano Vallejo, I was first approached to write for the Argus-Courier in 1978. The legendary Bill Soberanes and I had become friends through several functions when I was introduced to him by my sweet late grandmother, Irene Estrada. Bill Soberanes loved people and, at times, his wife would call me when he was a little too busy to finish some of his work. I would ride out on my bicycle to the interview, conduct the interview, and complete the article for him. This wonderful man introduced me to a world behind the pen.
My love for wine began on the streets of Paris with my father on the Champs-Élysées. My dad was partnering up, at the time, with Vidal Sassoon in doing hair shows and hair products. I had the privilege of sipping Champagne at the insightful age of five and enjoying caviar with Vidal Sassoon. The glitz, the shine, the culture, the flavors - I knew this is what I wanted for my life.
After some incredible adventures, obscure and interesting employment opportunities around the globe, I wound up right back in the very town where I grew up. One evening over sipping some very fine wine, my old friend, Christopher Sawyer and I came up with the idea to open Vine and Barrel Wine Shop and Wine Bar from where I write today.
I took over the shop and Christopher is, well, let’s just say Christopher is where wine is happening. As the most amazing sommelier I know, Christopher is always on the go as everyone wants him to review their wine around the world. Christopher is still local, if you can ever catch him downtown. He is a wealth of wine knowledge.
Today, I am just getting started, and I am excited to be back on board, writing about wine. I plan on serving up the entire planet and all there is to share, learn and know in weeks ahead.
My particular love is for our own, Petaluma GAP wine growing region, The Grower’s Alliance of Petaluma which is soon to receive its own AVA. As a founding board member, I was instrumental in launching our pursuit to distinguish our area - our little wine country - as very different than those around us. Mainly, it is our cool climate with the windy gap that brings us the cooling at night and the fog. We will delve into this in another article.
For now, I invite you to follow me here in this space, as I carry on a tradition rooted many years ago by my great-great uncle, General Vallejo and the incredible Bill Soberanes. I have lived in many places and seen many things, but this is my hometown, P-Town. I hope you enjoy reading On The Vine and learning about our local wine community.
(Jason Jenkins is the owner of Vine and Barrel in Petaluma. Contact him at jason@vineandbarrel.com.)
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