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A Wine of One's Own
Randall Grahm on wine, words and subversive thinking
by Connie Blaszczyk
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 Once upon a time, not too far from the popular wine-growing valleys of Napa and Sonoma, there lived an iconoclastic, fortysomething-year-old California winemaker named Randall Grahm. He set out to create a different sort of vineyard, armed with a great love for forgotten grapes such as cinsault and ciliegolo, and an equally large propensity for loquacious puns and wordplay. Our adventurous vintner stripped wine of its pomposity and high cost, imbuing it instead with humor, wit, and a reasonable retail price. Thus was born a vineyard that's now known across the land as Bonny Doon.
Sixteen years on, the Bonny Doon fairy tale continues, led by its irascible pied piper of vino. During that time, Grahm has turned his back on well-known grapes like chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and instead sought out vines from France's Rhône Valley, the Mediterranean, and even Germany for his Monterey vineyards. The result is an eclectic cellar that houses a highly-regarded Rhône red, "Cigare Volant," named after an obscure Rhône law that prohibits spaceships and flying cigars from landing in the vineyards. Bonny Doon has also distinguished itself with a full line of dessert and fortified wines including eau-de-vies, brandies, and grappas.
All this from a man who describes his corporate ethos as "chaos, bloodletting, and a generous lap full of lampone [raspberries]." Grahm admits that without a net of major financing or capital, Bonny Doon is often forced to walk a thin economic tightrope. He cautions newcomers that wine making isn't a "get rich quick" kind of opportunity and openly questions the sustainability of California's wine boom. But money isn't the main motivator for this vintner known as "the Rhône Ranger." Grahm is resolved and seemingly predestined to be the quirky outsider of the California wine industry.
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Meet Randall Grahm in this video clip.
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Randall Grahm
;)
