Having heard about it for many years, we are so excited to be participating in the 11th annual, and our first, Berserker Day. For small producers such as us, we work hard to get our name out there. The best we can do is make quality wine that will speak for itself. As Todd mentioned, that’s “…what makes this so special - connecting small producers directly with wine lovers around the world, the Berserkers!”
I wanted to be the one to introduce us, as this community has a special meaning to me having started in the wine industry… 11 years ago. Some of you may know me as Chris Silkowski’s daughter, or Brian Loring’s Assistant Winemaker, or maybe we met at one of Frank Murray’s events. Needless to say, it’s likely that the path that led me to work in wine was greatly influenced by this forum.
As mentioned, I started in the wine industry as an intern in 2008. Almost immediately hooked, I transferred to Oregon State to study Agriculture, and was then offered the position of Assistant Winemaker at Loring Wine Company in 2012. It was the following year, during harvest of 2013, that I set out to start my own label, RASI, as a side project. One barrel turned into three, and then into six, and so on.
Fast forward to now. A lot has happened in between but what is most important is where we are now. With the addition of my husband and partner, the RASI label grew into Say When, a small winery in a shared facility in Lompoc, CA. We are now sourcing 7 different varieties from Santa Barbara to Paso Robles. With my formal training being mostly Pinot Noir (which we still make two of), it’s been exciting working with different regions and different varieties. While the wines are evolving to be very different, each is made with minimal intervention, no addition of commercial yeast, and ages in neutral French Oak.
We’re so grateful to be apart of this community and we look forward to connecting with so many of you!
Rachel & Michel