Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/615432
the west 32 Colette Christian '79 chef and instructor Melissa Adele Rosen '97 Locali Conscious Convenience Jos Saldana '99 Ginos East – Mexico City Harold Jurado '01 chef Chris Holinger '96 Rule of Three Alison Wrigley Rusack '76 Rusack Wines Paul Trevino '86 Justice Urban Tavern To experienced winemaker Peter Hunken, small is beautiful. Hunken and his wife, Amy Christine, are owners of the Black Sheep Finds & Holus Bolus Wines in Santa Barbara County, CA. They started in 2003 and now make about 2,500 cases annually of reasonably priced, high quality wines from Syrah, Cabernet and Pinot Noir grapes. Two years ago they planted their own vineyard of 12,000 vines on five acres for a new, yet unnamed project. Operating on a shoestring budget, Hunken spends most of his time at the vineyard while Christine, who is one of 10 women in the United States to have passed the Master of Wine exam, has kept her day jobs with a small wine importer and as a sommelier at an LA restaurant. Their winery is located in the so-called wine ghetto of Lompoc, and their wines are housed in an unassuming warehouse. "Winemaking is not as romantic as everyone thinks it is," said Hunken. "Everything we do, we do ourselves. It is all hands-on, from working in the vineyards to sorting the grapes to bottling the wine." Hunken started off selling his wines to restaurants and retailers mostly in Los Angeles and Southern California, but now also distributes to such far-flung locations as New York, South Korea, Sweden, London and Montreal. As the brand has grown in popularity, especially their Holus Bolus wines with their distinctive octopus label and their Hocus Pocus Syrah, he and Christine have opened a tasting room and started an online wine club. Peter Hunken '95 Black Sheep Finds Although Holinger is San Francisco based, Rule of Three is located in Mendoza, Argentina.