As the early morning sun rises, I find myself at Casanel Vineyards in Loudoun County, Virginia. It's harvest time, and Norton grapes are being hand picked by a small crew at this 42 acre family owned vineyard and winery. One of the members of this crew is Katie DeSouza Henley, head winemaker and vineyard manager at Casanel. As she hand picks grapes she tells me about the wine these grapes will be used to make, the world's first sparkling Norton, Red Spark.
Read my full interview with Katie below:
What first inspired you to create Red Spark?
When I was younger and building my first wine portfolio for Casanel in 2013, I was struggling to find a place for our estate-grown Norton. In previous years, we produced a rose-style wine from it, but I wanted to create something more creative and more elegant. People struggle to like Norton because of its unique, often very earthy taste (it is definitely still a love-hate relationship for most), so, I wanted to make a more approachable, fruit forward wine in a style that would be liked by a broader demographic of wine-drinker. After doing some research on the Norton grape and its history, I set out to create the world's first method traditionelle Norton (French-style champagne), and voila, Red Spark was born!
Why did you choose the Norton grape?
Norton is a native grape to Virginia and has quite the storied history. To keep a long story short. Thomas Jefferson was interested in it and even grew it in his gardens at Monticello in the hopes of making his own estate wine. Unfortunately, Jefferson was never able to make a favorable wine out of it, for it has a perplexing "foxiness" that most palates struggle to enjoy. There are so many reasons why I chose to do a sparkling with Norton, but I think the most important reasons are that I wanted to create a wine out of Norton that: 1) Thomas Jefferson himself could enjoy 2) a wine that my family, especially my father, who is a giant Jefferson fan, would be proud of, and 3) a wine that would set me apart as a winemaker and show people the versatility of hybrid grapes in the Virginia wine industry. It was definitely different, but very exciting to create the world's first sparkling Norton!
What first attracted you to wine making?
Honestly, the idea of being able to both grow and create my own, unique style of Virginia wines. Being a winemaker and also a vineyard manager, you have to be involved in every aspect, from bud-to-bottle: whether it's designing a new trellising system for our grapes, blending new wines for our club members and family to enjoy, or leading group tours and tastings on the weekends. Just having the chance to experiment and leave my mark through wine is a very validating, humbling experience. I've met many wonderful people, including my husband, all of whom have taught me and helped me in my winemaking career. That being said, I definitely prefer to be my own boss and make my own decisions as well as make final decisions regarding the portfolio here at Casanel. Each day of work is different, as I control and oversee all aspects of production (vineyard, winery/cellar), which helps me to control and improve all facets of our family business. It's time-consuming, and sometimes crazy, but I would not trade it for the world!
“I wanted to create a wine that would set me apart as a winemaker and show people the versatility of hybrid grapes in the Virginia wine industry. It was definitely different, but very exciting to create the world’s first sparkling Norton!”
Tell me about your journey to become the Head Winemaker at Casanel.
My family purchased our 42 acre estate in November of 2006. It had previously been a cattle farm, but had been abandoned for about 40 years. My family undertook taking down 10 acres of trees in order to plant around 8 acres of grapes. My father reused the wood we felled to create both of our unique tasting rooms, as well as renovate our 1750s log cabin and build his own house on the upper end of our estate. I originally thought my family was crazy, but having Portuguese roots and having visited Portugal in 2006, the wine bug was in our blood just waiting to come out.
After planting the grapes and having them produced into wine by a local winery facility nearby, we formally opened our doors on October 18, 2008. I started as the weekend "crystal technician" aka the dishwasher, as I was underage and attending Virginia Tech as a sophomore at the time. My sister was acting Tasting Room Manager; she taught me the ropes and I eventually became Assistant Tasting Room Manager, and finally head Tasting Room Manager in 2013. During this time, I was also heavily involved in both vineyard and cellar production, learning from our vineyard manager about pruning, trellising styles, harvesting, etc, as well as helping out during crush, bottling, and everything in between. I absorbed all of it, wanting to learn as much as I could, as quickly as I could. The longer I worked behind the bar, the more I realized how subjective and competitive this business was, understanding that the most confident and knowledgeable winemakers led the pack in VA.
The moment I knew I would take over came about over an argument about our estate Chardonnay. I had originally wanted to keep the wine fresh and clean, not wanting the wine to undergo malo-lactic fermentation, a process wherein bacteria is added to the wine to convert harsh malic acid into a creamier, softer texture concurrent with lactic acid. Because I wasn't the winemaker, I did not have the final say in our products. I hold a very unique position as daughter of the owner here at Casanel. As mentioned, I made it a point to know the ins and outs of my family's business, promoting efficiency, high quality grapes and wine, and overall improvement of cellar and vineyard practices. I have worked behind the bar for so long (and still do), that I created a unique position whereby I have main access to our clients. They tell me what they like and dislike, which directly helps me determine what types of wines would work or are appropriate for the demographics of customers that come into Casanel. Being fiercely competitive, a little OCD, and crazy proud of the reputation my family was building for quality Virginia wines in Loudoun, it was only natural for me to assume the role winemaker and vineyard manager.
On January 1, 2014, I was promoted to Co-Winemaker for Casanel, under the tutelage of Bordeux trained Oenologist Katell Giraud and world-renowned Viticulturist Lucie Morton. In June of 2018, Katell resigned her position so that she could pursue other projects and teach younger clients the ropes of wine-growing and winemaking. In July of 2018, I was promoted to head Winemaker and Vineyard Manager, Director of Sales and Distribution, and head of Marketing and Branding. I hope to one day own Casanel with my husband Tyler, who is my Co-Winemaker and Production Manager.
What makes Casanel different?
Casanel operates on quality and transparency. With almost 50 wineries alone in Loudoun County, competition is fierce, as is finding quality wine that is 100% grown and made in Virginia. Many of our competitors purchase grapes and even finished wines from outside the state of Virginia, often times buying California or Washington state fruit and wines. My family has made a promise since Casanel's inception to be 100% Virginian, using as much estate grown fruit as we can, as well as sourcing extra grapes from local Loudoun vineyards and other Virginia farms. When you taste Casanel wines, you know they are special. We have built our reputation on high quality wines, and on our ability to grow Carmenere, one of Casanel's signature red wines. As of right now, Casanel is the only winery outside of Chile on the east coast of the USA that successfully grow and make a varietal Carmenere wine. Our 2016 Carmenere recently took Best of Class in the San Francisco Chronicle, the largest national wine competition in America. We beat our every West Coast entry and are the first East Coast winery to win for this particular category in the entire history of the competition. Our wines are gaining more traction and attention in the wine world as people are realizing the great potential for quality grape-growing and winemaking in our region. The East Coast is emerging as a powerhouse wine region, with Virginia a rising star among them. I hope to elevate Casanel as a premiere grower and maker of Virginia wines.
“Our wines are gaining more traction and attention in the wine world as people are realizing the great potential for quality grape-growing and winemaking in our region. The East Coast is emerging as a powerhouse wine region, with Virginia a rising star among them. I hope to elevate Casanel as a premiere grower and maker of Virginia wines.”
Why is Casanel being fully estate so important to you?
The number one question we get behind the bar is, "Is this your fruit?" With the farm-to-fork movement growing stronger and stronger in America and more and more people clamoring to know whether food is organic or non-GMO, our customers want to know exactly what is in their local wines. Being able to point outside to our vineyards and say, "yes, ALL of our wines are made from our estate fruit" is both a tremendous achievement, given our crazy East coast weather, and very validating as a winemaker and vineyard manager. Our wines are also Vegan, as we want our customers to know that we take great care in the making of our wines in the cellar. Quality is a huge selling point with the wine-buying crowd and Casanel stands above most with our avant-garde approach to thoughtful grape-growing and quality-driven mantra in our cellar. We want our customers to know that we care about our vineyards and our wines and work with our climate to produce the best Virginian wines we can. All of our technical notes and other production details are available and visible for all clients to see whenever they come to Casanel Vineyards & Winery. I hope to carry on my family's legacy here on our farm as well as encourage and teach future generations the importance of farming and the love I have for grape growing and winemaking in Virginia.
You can learn more about Katie and Casanel Vineyards & Winery by visiting their website casanelvinyards.com