5 Innovative Winemakers You Should Know

Hailed as “the Steve Jobs of Wine” by Forbes Magazine, Paul Hobbs is unquestionably a legend in the California wine industry. He never sticks to the rules and always pursues the highest level of precision. His pioneering, innovative work in new and historical sites and regions, particularly for his ability to identify and cultivate exceptional vineyards is highly regarded. He managed to seek out, study, and develop vineyards sites across the globe and fully express the potential of the terroir with his minimalist winemaking.

Apart from Paul Hobbs winery, he also owns CrossBarn in California, Crocus in France, Yacoubian-Hobbs in Armenia, and Viña Cobos in Argentina. In his namesake winery, Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the highly collectible wines you should try. Meaning “The Highest Good” in Greek, To Kalon Vineyard is a legendary vineyard in Napa Valley producing some of the best premium grapes in the region.

Catena Zapata is one of the top wineries in Argentina, with its story being the story of Argentine wine. In 1902, long before Malbec became a household name among wine lovers, the Catena family sailed from Italy to Argentina and planted their first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza, which is now the most important grape variety of the country.

When the third generation Dr. Nicolás Catena Zapata took over the family winery in the 1960s, he drastically modernised the winemaking techniques and pioneered planting on extremely high-altitude vineyards on the Andes Mountains. Once again, they succeeded with flying colours, with their flagship Adrianna Vineyard being regarded as the first ‘Grand Cru’ in South America. It is located at nearly 5,000 feet above sea level, and no one thought grapes could ripen at such extreme altitude. But they do. The resulted wine is extremely soft, velvety, complex in world-class quality. Nicolás was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Wine Enthusiast in 2021 for his contribution to putting Argentine wines on the world map of premium wines.

Catena Zapata’s story hasn’t stopped – the winery is now in the hands of the fourth generation, Dr. Laura Catena, a Harvard-and-Stanford-educated vintner, physician, and author. While running a very successful wine business, she actively promotes Mendoza wine and Argentine Malbec, particularly in the field of high-altitude viticulture, the vineyard soil microbiome, and wine ageability. It’s believed that with the thorough studies of vineyards and in the talented hands of such calibre and intellect, more breakthroughs will come again from Catena Zapata!

Ceretto winery was founded in the 1930s by Riccardo Ceretto, who did not own any vineyards and simply produced wine from grapes he purchased. The turning point came when his sons Bruno and Marcello joined the business, with their innovative thinking for the time: the importance of the land. In 1960s, Bruno and Marcello started mapping out the land that produced the best wines and buying the vineyards. They would never leave the region again, and these exceptional vineyards have provided them with top-quality grapes for making wines.

d’Arenberg is one of the most iconic wineries in South Australia, managed by the famous Chester Osborn who acts as not only the chief winemaker but also viticulturalist. Taking care of both winemaking and the vineyard is an important binary for him. In the winery, he’s as minimalist as possible for his belief in terroir expression; and in the vineyard, he pushes the boundaries of sustainable grape growing, and now the winery is both certified organic and biodynamic.

Among so many South Australian wineries, d’Arenberg stands out in many different ways – in addition to the wide range of wine offerings and great quality, they are also always full of character. From the signature red stripe on the label to the truly unique 5-storey d’Arenberg Cube and the owner with a big personality and outstanding outfit, d’Arenberg can be recognised easily from the crowd. It’s especially the case if you visit their cellar door – they are revolutionising the wine experience, combining wine, food, art, luxury and discovery. For example, we may try to blend and bottle our own wines.