Nicole Abiouness
| Nicole Abiouness | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Winemaker |
| Years active | 1995 |
Nicole Abiouness is an American winemaker. She primarily focuses on making Pinot noir wines.
Personal life and education
Nicole Abiouness is originally from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Her father is of Lebanese heritage and is a structural engineer.[1][2] She attended Norfolk Academy and graduated in 1999.[1][3] Abiouness graduated with degrees in international relations and French from the College of William and Mary.[3] After graduation, she went to Brussels, Belgium, to intern for The Wall Street Journal in the marketing department. She disliked the standard nine to five workday and when she returned to Virginia she inquired with various restaurant and wine industry people in the area about going into the wine business. They advised she move to Napa and attend school to study wine.[3]
In 1995, she moved to Napa Valley to attend the Culinary Institute of America, studying wine.[1] Abiouness lives in St. Helena, California.[4]
Career
Abiouness' first winery job was Oakville, California at Swanson Vineyards.[4] She credits Marco Cappelli at Swanson and Elías Fernández at Shafer Vineyards as mentors.[1] She also worked at Australian winery Yalumba in 1996 and two wineries in France: Château La Tour Blanche and Domaine Comte Armand.[1] It was in France where she became focused on making Pinot noir wines. She returned to California in 1998.[1] In California, she's also worked at Chappellet Winery, served as a wine educator at Robert Mondavi, and was cellar master at Luna Vineyards, both located in Napa Valley.[1][5] She is also an Anusara Yoga instructor.[4][6]
Abiouness Wines
Abiouness started making her own wine in 1999, creating a Sangiovese.[4] In 2000, she created a Pinot noir, finalizing the creation of her own winery, Abiouness Wine. The first vintage Pinot grapes came from the Carneros AVA. Additional Pinot vintages, such as the 2006, came from vineyards in Carneros.[5] She also makes a rosé from Pinot noir grapes.[2] She buys her fruit from vintners. The grapes are crushed in a warehouse in Santa Rosa, California. All of the wines are made by hand, with as little use of machinery as possible. They are naturally fermented. As of 2009, she was producing 1,000 cases under the Abiouness Wine label. Abiouness' tattoo of a lotus flower is used as the design on the wine label for the brand. She has one employee, a bookkeeper that works part-time. In 2009, the label brought in $110,000 in revenues with a $40,000 loss. Her wines are sold at Union Square Cafe.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Abiouness: One of the Best Restaurants in Napa Valley Can’t Keep This Pinot noir in Stock for $82 — You Can Find it for $36!!". Jim's Wine Discoveries. I Love Napa. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Napa winemaker returns to her old stomping grounds". The Virginian-Pilot. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.(subscription required)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Batts, Jr., Battinto (29 December 2005). "A thirst for it". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 21 December 2012.(subscription required)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Adams, Susan. "Success By The Glass". Entrepreneurs. Forbes. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Abiouness Wines". Prince of Pinot. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ↑ Junker, Amanda. "16 of the Coolest Yoga Photos You'll Ever See". Fitness. Shape. Retrieved 21 December 2012.