photos by Jerry Butts
A Toast to Friends
Sullivans’ love for wine inspires annual Napa trips, home wine cellar By Kristen Lund
In
the fall of 2001, Sandy Sullivan and Gretchen Miller, both of Evansville, decided to surprise their husbands, Dr. David Sullivan and Dr. Mike Miller, with a vacation to Napa Valley, Calif. On Sept. 8, they arrived in wine country. Three days later, planes in the hands of terrorists crashed in New York City, Washington, D.C., and rural Pennsylvania. The couples cut their trip short by a day to head home to their young children — but not before stopping at one last winery. “It was a weird, eerie feeling,” Sandy recalls. “They were pouring their best wines because nobody knew what tomorrow was going to be like.” Despite the unforeseen ending to the getaway, that trip to Napa inspired the couples’ passion for wine, as well as a new
52 March | April 2014 Evansville Living
tradition. Every year since 2001, the Sullivans, accompanied by the Millers, and some years other couples, have made an annual trip to California’s wine region to experience the stunning scenery and world-class wines. Before their first visit to Napa, “we didn’t know that much about wine at all,” Sandy recalls. “It’s amazing how quickly after you start tasting wine that you develop a palate.” The Sullivans and Millers — who prefer to travel to California in the fall, when grapes are harvested — typically visit two to three wineries each day. Sandy chooses their destinations by researching online, reading magazines such as Wine Spectator and Food & Wine, and studying the wine lists at fine restaurants in California. “We always look for smaller boutique wineries where we can go in and sit with the owner or the winemaker,” Sandy says. “It makes it more personal.” “They’re always excited about sharing,” adds Gretchen Miller. “It’s an art to them, and they’re proud of their product.” One of the group’s favorite destinations is Amizetta Estate Winery, a family-owned vineyard and winery outside St. Helena, Calif., that is named for the family matriarch — whose name has Native American roots and means “little friend.” Located atop a mountain,
sandy and Dr. david sullivan
the winery overlooks the hillside vineyards and a nearby lake, and visitors can sit outside for picnics. Tastings and tours are private and led by the owners, Amizetta and Spencer Clark, who launched their vineyard in 1979. Another winery the couples enjoy is El Molino, also in St. Helena, Calif. El Molino, founded in 1871, offers only two fine wines (a chardonnay and a pinot noir) and is one of the Napa Valley’s oldest wineries. Through their travels, the Sullivans developed such a love of wine that they decided to include a wine cellar in their McCutchanville, Ind., home, which they built in 2005. The room is underground and doesn’t require temperature regulation, since the changes in temperature are small and slow enough as not to affect the wine. (On a recent afternoon, the temperature clocked in at 54 degrees.) The wine cellar is decorated with bottles signed by winery owners and winemakers, and a heavy wooden antique door from Europe — purchased at an antique store in Springfield, Mo. — adds a dramatic touch to the entrance. The Sullivans’ wine cellar includes some white and sparkling wines, but mainly red wines, from pinot noir to cabernet sauvignon. Most of the wine comes from their trips to California and enrollment in wine clubs at wineries they have visited, such as Amizetta, Scribe Winery, Schramsberg (known for its sparkling wine), Pride Mountain Vineyards, and Modus Operandi Wines. The smaller boutique wineries, Sandy explains, often don’t sell their wines to distributors, so they are not available for purchase in Evansville. Of all the interests a couple could develop together, why wine? For the Sullivans, wine is all about making memories with friends. “It’s the bringing of friends together and the fun times you have,” says Sandy. ❦