Fizzy Business - Regis College

Max Gerber
As for that Davis professor who had tried to
talk Crane out of becoming a winemaker in the
first place? Years later Crane appeared on a
panel with him at a conference. Crane told the
story of her rude introduction to the industry
without naming names, then enjoyed the look of
recognition that crossed his face. “I don’t think
he remembered my name but he recognized the
story. It was like, ooooh.”
ThE wINE
In a region awash in over-the-top architecture,
Domaine Carneros’s Napa compound still
manages to stand out. Visitor parking is at
the narrowest end of the pyramid-shaped estate,
with an uphill view
of the gardens,
grand staircase,
The decision
to initiate
the harvest is
hers alone.
and main building.
Climbing the
broad stairs toward
the pink and yellow
manor is like
approaching Oz.
When Crane
joined the company
in 1987, the drawings
were done but
ground had yet to
be broken on the building, which is modeled
after an 18th-century chateau also owned by
the Taittinger family, in Champagne. Crane
oversaw design of the Napa facility’s interior
spaces, which include the cellars and
bottling plant, multiple tasting rooms,
a gift shop, and offices.
The interior is classic and elegant:
lightwood furniture, limestone and
marble floors, and floral tapestry
dominate. Overseeing the entrance is
a portrait of Madame de Pompadour,
paramour of King Louis XV, who
introduced sparkling wine (which
was invented in England) and other
fineries to the court at Versailles. The
royals’ tastes ran toward “foofy stuff,
but she was more restrained,” Crane
says with a wink.
photographs of "glamour girls" like elizabeth taylor
adorn the visitor's Salon, along with quotations
from several. Crane's favorite is from madame de
pompadour, who said, "Champagne is the only wine
a woman can drink and remain beautiful."
Domaine Carneros is the second winery
Crane has built from the ground up. Asked
to point out something in it she’s especially
proud of, she answers without hesitation: “The
wines themselves.”
Domaine Carneros makes sparkling wines in
three primary styles: brut, brut rose, and blanc
de blancs. They taste good, distinct from each
other—and a far cry from the too-sweet wine
served in plastic goblets that most of us know
as champagne.
Crane’s office enjoys a view of vineyards out
one window and a patio out the other, where
Domaine Chandon’s sparkling wines are served
in single glasses or flights. She enjoys the surprised
expressions on the faces of skeptics tasting
high-quality sparkling wine for the first time.
“You see the light go on,” she says. “Most
people have never had the good stuff.”
When she talks about sparkling wine, Crane’s
calm voice gains speed. To this day, she loves it.
“Sparkling wine seems to have a life of its own,”
she says. “It’s the only one you can actually hear.
It has such vibrancy.” Each weekend starts with
a bottle shared with her husband, wherever they
may be. “It’s a standard,” she says. “It separates
the week from the weekend.”
There are unglamorous parts of the profession,
for sure. Crane’s office probably looks like yours:
there is computer terminal on one desk and tidy
piles of paper on another. The key difference is
that grapes determine the rhythm of Crane’s
days, not technology.
“It’s glamorous from the outside looking in, but
on a day-to-day basis it’s farming,” Crane says.
“Luckily my job is not boring. I have a lot of fun
at my job. And I’m very tied to the seasons.”
“In reality, when it comes to winemaking,
I’m not in charge,” says Crane. “Mother Nature
is in charge.”
25
FALL 10