It’s August 2013, and I’ve just arrived at the La Purisima Mission for Wine & Fire, the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Alliance’s signature event. Tables are nestled under oak trees, rays of sunshine flicker across bottles of chardonnay and pinot noir, and tablecloths flap in the gentle Lompoc breeze.
I’m encouraged to go see Steve and Caryn Arrowood at Montemar Wines. It’s their first time at the event, and I love meeting new winemakers. I’m impressed by the wines, but even more by Steve. He’s immediately kind and engaging, and he tells me that he’s been a home winemaker since 1991 — a true garagiste. We said our pleasantries and I moved along.
Shortly after, I was flying on a plane to the United Kingdom with my daughter and wife, whose job moved us there for nearly five years. I knew I had made a new good friend by meeting Steve, but what I didn’t know yet was just how good.