As I go about conversations in my daily life, the word “why” comes up a lot. “Why a vineyard? Why Sol Rei? Why online? I try to answer the “Why” questions in a sentence or two, but in my mind, there are layers of personal and professional reasons.
Sol Rei Wine started out as a retirement project. As a lifestyle choice, I knew that owning a vineyard did not make money, but I thought if I could just break even, running a vineyard would keep me engaged and active as I got older. After interning for a year at Bainbridge Vineyard, I gained practical knowledge of organic farming and more importantly, discovered it was back-breaking work! Despite the demands, I was hooked. About the same time, a friend in the wine business gave me some excellent advice – focus on your brand first, your grapes second. Given that I was on my own knowledge-gathering journey due to a wine sensitivity triggered from an illness, my passion for viticulture, wine, and wellbeing suddenly converged – thus, the birth of my brand.
Why “Sol Rei”? Portuguese words for “Sun King”, Sol Rei honors my Portuguese horse named “Quando Rei” (“When King”) and the beautiful sunshine that ripens the wine grapes here in Northern California to achieve the perfect balance of acidity and flavor. Horse-related design elements are also part of the brand image such as the heart in the Sol Rei logo (actual horse brand mark) and the silver filigree design on the champagne bottle (brow band from my horse’s bridle). After 19 years together (we were both a lot younger in the photo), he has since passed but his spirit lives on through the Sol Rei Brand.
Another question I hear a lot is “How did this all come to life?” I have to say it has been luck and the amazingly talented people who helped turn the vision into reality. Many thanks to my friend and illustrator, Annette [annettekraus.com], who applied her special whimsey and artistic skills to create the Sol Rei logo, Ben [cronkstudios.com] who took some rough concepts and transformed them into a beautiful and functional website, Peter [wineworks.co] for adding professional polish, Hayley [4partsdesign.com] for taking me under her wing to navigate the nuances of packaging design, and the broader wine community that has been so generous with their time and knowledge. I have been touched and enriched in so many ways. I am very grateful that our lives have intersected through this creative process. Now to those of you who experience our wines, I hope you feel a special connection to the wine and our little community.
