In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re recognizing several of the women leading the Foley Family Wines organization.
This week, we learn more about Lorna Kreutz, Director of Winemaking at Lincourt Vineyards in Solvang, California. Lorna, who joined the Foley Wine Group as Assistant Winemaker for both Lincourt Vineyards and Foley Estate in 2011, leads the winemaking team located in one of California’s most coveted, cool-climate viticultural AVA’s and continues the tradition of producing high quality wines from some of the best vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills.
Q: WHAT DREW YOU TO THE WINEMAKING PROFESSION?
While I was attending college and studying environmental horticultural science, I took a part time job in a tasting room where I had a “light bulb moment” that wine was a way that I could apply my love of science in an artistic way. From that moment, I embarked upon a trajectory into enology and never looked back. I remember the first time that I topped barrels as a cellar rat and that I felt so at home and so fascinated all at the same time, it just felt right.
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING AT LINCOURT?
Without hesitation, my answer is working with the estate fruit. I feel so privileged to be the steward of the estate fruit. Lincourt has special vineyards that have a tremendous range in soil profile, site exposure, topography, and clonal selections. It’s a special place with a special story, and I am grateful to be part of the story.
“Intuition. Intention. Humility.”– three words Lorna would use to describe her approach to winemaking
Q: CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY TYPICAL DAY LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU?
It involves more paperwork than I care to admit! But it comes with the territory, because the job requires meticulous tracking and monitoring of everything from facility operations to winemaking. What I enjoy most is that no day is the same. My reality is 2-3 months from the current day, so there is a ton of planning that I do on a daily basis and any day can be comprised of a medley of activities from blending, bottling, checking on the vineyard, tasting trials, analysis, compliance, harvesting, and hospitality.
Q: WHAT’S A COMMON MISCONCEPTION ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
That I drink wine all day. Ha! I have been asked many times how many hours a day I’m drinking wine, and I just laugh and say “not as much as I would like.”
Q: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE LINCOURT WINE CURRENTLY?
The 2014 Lincourt Willie Mae Pinot Noir. 2014 was my inaugural vintage as winemaker, so that vintage has special meaning to me. I love a high-acid profile Pinot Noir and the 2014 Willie Mae is a lean, austere Pinot Noir with understated nuance. It has aged beautifully.
Want to see the end result of Lorna and her team’s work? Shop all Lincourt Vineyard wines, available now in the Foley Food & Wine Society Wine Shop.
