THE SECRETS OF THE SOIL
An interview with Pedro Rubio, General Manager of Beckstoffer Vineyards
Beckstoffer Vineyards was founded in 1970, Beckstoffer now cultivates grapes on over 3,000 acres across Lake, Mendocino, and Napa County. Long-standing institutions, of course, cannot hold the power of a name without a thousand smaller names working tirelessly to produce the product which makes the name great. Our editorial intern Andre Williams had the opportunity to speak with such a name recently. What follows is an interview with Pedro Rubio, the general manager of Beckstoffer, about his experiences in the wine industry and the agricultural improvements he's facilitated in the vineyard.
Q
How did you develop an interest in the wine industry?
A
By mistake. I came to the US as an adult. I was 23 or so, and I was a musician. My idea was to get into the recording industry, and well, you can hear my accent now, but back then my English was terrible. I stayed in L.A. for a few months. My dad had a sister in L.A. who was in charge of a large apartment complex. It was kind of old, and she needed a lot of physical work done for it — painting, replacing the carpets, stuff like that. Since they didn't have any kids, they found it rewarding to have my brother and I work for them. But that wasn't enough for me, so I put an ad in the local newspaper in L.A., looking for work as a drafting technician, and as a musician. As a drafter, I was asked for a certificate, but my English was so bad that I wasn't really able to communicate with them. But I did get a couple of interviews for music gigs, and I started playing a few weeks later. Eventually my brother decided L.A. wasn't for him and he moved to Napa because we had relatives there.
It was probably September when he called me and asked if I wanted to come to Napa. “To do what?” I asked him. “To pick grapes!” No thanks!” I told him. A week later he called again and told me to come to Napa, and I told him again that I had no desire to “pick grapes.” I'm not sure how he convinced me to go to Napa, but it might've had something to do with the fact that he was making $800 a week picking grapes. So, that's how I ended up in Napa. It was hard for me at first. I had a degree from Mexico, and it was pretty hard to start working in the field. I never expected that I'd ever become a field worker. But the first day I was in the middle of a vineyard block in Napa, I said to myself, “Wow. This is it.”
Q
Have you worked with Beckstoffer from the start?
A
No. I started working for a company in Napa called Jack Neil and Sons. That was back in 1984, when I first started picking grapes. By the end of my first picking season, I established a good working relationship with the supervisor, and he offered me the chance to stay. I asked “To do what? There are no more grapes to pick.” He asked if I knew how to drive a tractor. I said no, but I told him that if he showed me, I'd do it. I never said no to any task he had for me. And every year I got more and more assignments and slowly gained experience. After 14 years, I became the vice president of the company. At one point we were the largest vineyard company in Napa.
Q
What does your job as the general manager entail?
A
Most people think
I just drive around, but it actually involves a lot. I'm responsible for the safety, look, and quality of the vineyard… I'm in charge of just about everything. I have to make sure everything is done the right way and within the budget. I have to make sure everything is working properly. I have weekly meetings with my shop manager, office manager, all my vineyard managers, and horticulturists… I deal with the clients. I'm in constant communication with all my managers. I'm always informed on what's going on. Though if I had to name the biggest challenge for me, it would have to be managing people. We all have different points of view, and sometimes I have to be like a politician. I have to keep the company rolling, and at times it's hard to keep everyone happy.
Q
What are some changes you've made to Beckstoffer's agricultural practices as the GM?
A
When I came on board, this vineyard was designed as a production facility. We were supposed to get as many tons per acre as possible. I thought that was a waste of the natural resources we have in lake county— the terroir. The conditions were optimal to grow high quality cabernet sauvignon grapes. It took me awhile to convince the owners to change agricultural practices here. But once we started doing that, the quality of our grapes changed significantly.
Q
Do you think our county could grow better grapes than Napa?
A
Well, I don't think Lake County grapes will ever be better than Napa's because they're different grapes. Grapes are grapes, but the grape composition and phenolics are different between counties. Here in Lake County, the vineyard elevation is different, which means that the sun exposure here is greater than Napa's There's no fog over here— you can count our foggy days on your fingers. The air quality is also different between counties. Grapes here develop a thicker skin, and the skin is where the flavor and color is developed.
Q
Do you think Lake County's demographics could ever look like Napa's?
A
I hope I can see that in my time here. The economics are so different between Napa and Lake County— we're worlds apart, despite being so close. Napa County often doesn't even notice changes in the economy, but Lake County always does. But to say something good about what we have here— Lake County has the most affordable housing within the wine-country region. You can find a large concentration of workers here, which is a benefit to us. They would rather stay and work here in Lake County, even if they make a few dollars less than they would in Napa.
Q
Do the practices of Beckstoffer affect the health of the lake?
A
No. We're located in the Red Hills Appellation. There's no stream that goes into the lake from the area where we grow our grapes. Some people ask about the groundwater, but we don't use any red-tag pesticides. We have a sustainable farming certification. I consider myself a steward of the land— we like what we have and we're very careful with it. Our mission is to preserve the land and leave it better than we found it for future generations.
Q
To close, what inspired you to start a vineyard of your own? What are some of your goals for it?
A
Well, I'm getting old. When I first started picking grapes, it was my goal to start a vineyard of my own, and I've finally gotten to a point where I can do that sort of thing. I've said this before and I'll say it again, this is a hobby for people with money — I don't know what I was thinking! I do most of my own work because it's an expensive hobby. But I love being out there, doing the tractor work. My big goal — you can tell me that I'm crazy — is to have the best vineyard in Lake County.