The Insider Spill Interview...With Stu Smith

The Napa Valley winemaker with 50 years of experience and the poison oak to prove it

The Insider Spill is a series of interviews with interesting people in and around the wine biz. All subjects are asked the same 10 quetions.

THE INSIDER SPILL WITH STU SMITH
Stu Smith, along with his brother Charlie, has been farming grapes and making wine on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley for more than 50 years at their Smith-Madrone Vineyards. If you live in Napa Valley, you either know Stu or know what he thinks. Despite seeming to be a man of few words in this interview, he is actually one of the Valley’s most thoughtful and articulate observers of the region and the industry. When he does have something to say, he does not mince words. Stu produces beautiful mountain-grown Cabernet, Chardonnay, and what many have described as the best Riesling in America. http://www.smithmadrone.com

1. In one short sentence, tell us what you do for a living.
Grow grapes and make wine.

2. What was the specific wine that made you realize this wasn’t just a drink, but a calling?
Gallo’s Hearty Burgundy

3. What’s one common wine “rule” or trend do you think is total marketing fluff?White wine goes with fish and red wine goes with beef---complete BS

4. Forget steak and Cabernet—what is your favorite “junk food” and wine pairing?
Riesling & sausage

5. What is one thing about the wine industry that would surprise someone who only sees the “glamour”?
Taking Prednisone for a massive case of poison oak that I got from trying to manage the forest that surrounds our vineyards

6. It’s your final night on Earth. What are you drinking, and who are you sharing it with?
Smith-Madrone 2022 Cabernet Franc with my wife, Julie Ann Kodmur

7. What is a completely useless skill you possess that you are secretly very proud of?
I’m an excellent white water canoeist, who has canoed the Trinity, Eel, Grand Ronde, the Rio Grande, the American, the Middle Fork of the Salmon

8. What movie or TV show have you seen multiple times and will likely watch many more times?
Band of Brothers

9. What is the last book you read or currently have on your nightstand?
C.S. Forester, Flying Colors

10. What question should I ask a future subject of The Insider Spill interview and to whom should I pose it?
Is there real representation by women winemakers in the Napa Valley? —Asked of Paula Kornell, 2nd-generation Napa Sparkling Winemaker.

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Tom Wark is the publisher of FERMENTATION, a source of commentary on the wine business that he has written since 2004. He is also the publisher of THE SPILL, a free, daily newsletter that curates the best wine content on the web. SUBSCRIBE TO THE SPILL FOR FREE.