Ep. 2531 Winemaking Journey from Mumbai to Napa with Priyanka French | Voices with Cynthia Chaplin
Voices with Cynthia Chaplin
Episode Summary
<think> I need to analyze the provided text, which is a podcast transcript featuring an interview with Priyanka French, a winemaker who has made significant contributions to the wine industry. I'll need to create a concise content analysis following the specified format with key themes, summary, key takeaways, notable quotes, and follow-up questions. First, let me understand the main content of the text: This is an interview with Priyanka French, who is: - Originally from Mumbai, India - First Indian national to complete a master's degree in viticulture and enology at UC Davis in 2011 - Former winemaker at Signorello Estate (starting in 2019) - Currently (as of the interview) general manager at Napa Wine Company and winemaker at Ghost Block Wines - Active in diversity and inclusion initiatives (serves on Wine Unify board and is mentorship program director for Women in Wine at Batonach) - Named to Wine Enthusiast Future 40 in 2023 The interview covers: 1. Her journey from Mumbai to Napa Valley 2. Challenges as a young Indian woman entering the predominantly white, male wine industry 3. Her experience at UC Davis as the first Indian national in the viticulture program 4. Her work rebuilding Signorello Estate after the 2017 fires 5. Her approach to smoke taint and fire prevention in winemaking 6. Her philosophy on sustainable and purposeful winemaking 7. Her work with Wine Unify and Batonach to promote diversity and inclusion 8. Her thoughts on engaging younger consumers with Napa Valley wines 9. Her personal life as a working mother with two young children Now, let me identify key themes from the text: 1. Diversity and representation in the wine industry - Priyanka discusses being one of the few Indian women in Napa Valley winemaking, the challenges she faced, and her work to create opportunities for underrepresented groups. 2. Overcoming adversity and rebuilding - Her work at Signorello Estate after the devastating 2017 fires, having to start from scratch with no records, and developing new approaches to fire prevention. 3. Mentorship and community building - Her emphasis on the importance of mentors (like Linda Bisson at UC Davis) and her current work with Wine Unify and Batonach to create supportive communities for underrepresented groups. 4. Sustainability in winemaking - Both environmental sustainability (organic farming, fire prevention) and social sustainability (diversity initiatives). 5. Authentic storytelling in wine marketing - Her perspective on connecting with younger consumers through authentic stories rather than traditional wine marketing tropes. Now, I'll craft the content analysis following the specified format: **Content Analysis** **Key Themes (max 5 points)** 1. Diversity and representation in the wine industry 2. Overcoming adversity and rebuilding after disasters 3. Mentorship and community building for underrepresented groups 4. Sustainability in winemaking (both environmental and social) 5. Authentic storytelling to engage new consumers **Summary (max 200 words)** Priyanka French, the first Indian national to earn a master's in viticulture from UC Davis, shares her journey from Mumbai to becoming a prominent winemaker in Napa Valley. She discusses the challenges of being a young woman of color in a predominantly white, male industry, recalling her initial intimidation at UC Davis when she didn't recognize grape varieties mentioned during a tour. French emphasizes the importance of mentors like Linda Bisson who supported her early career. She details her work rebuilding Signorello Estate after the 2017 fires destroyed the winery, developing innovative approaches to fire prevention and smoke taint management. French now serves as general manager at Napa Wine Company while leading diversity initiatives through Wine Unify (providing scholarships to underrepresented communities) and Batonach (mentorship for women in wine). She advocates for authentic storytelling to connect with younger consumers, moving beyond traditional European-centric wine narratives to include diverse cultural perspectives. As a working mother of two young children, she also reflects on balancing career and family while serving as a role model for future generations. **Key Takeaways (max 6 points)** - Priyanka French broke barriers as the first Indian national to complete UC Davis' viticulture program and became one of few Indian women winemakers in California - She developed innovative approaches to fire prevention and smoke taint management after rebuilding Signorello Estate following the 2017 Napa fires - French emphasizes that authentic storytelling connecting wine to diverse cultural experiences is key to engaging younger consumers - She co-founded initiatives providing over 400 scholarships to underrepresented communities through Wine Unify - French believes sustainable winemaking encompasses both environmental practices and social inclusion - She advocates for creating supportive communities rather than expecting individuals from underrepresented groups to navigate the industry alone **Notable Quotes (max 3)** - "Great wines are made in the vineyard and nurtured by a strong team and brought to life through collaboration and storytelling" - "It's not that young people don't want to drink wine. It's that if they are going to invest in the experience of coming to Napa... They want to hear something that's authentic and something that's real" - "The whole point of wine is to have conversations. It's a social impetus, if you will. It's meant to bring people together in community" **Follow-up Questions (max 3)** 1. How can the wine industry better support working mothers like yourself who are trying to balance family life with demanding careers in winemaking? 2. What specific strategies have proven most effective in helping Wine Unify scholarship recipients transition from education to meaningful careers in the wine industry? 3. How might the approaches you developed for smoke taint management at Signorello be adapted by smaller wineries with more limited resources? Let me check if this fits within the word limits: Key Themes: 5 points - good Summary: Approximately 180 words - under 200 word limit Key Takeaways: 6 points - good Notable Quotes: 3 quotes - good Follow-up Questions: 3 questions - good This analysis should provide a concise yet comprehensive overview of the main points from the interview with Priyanka French. </think> **Content Analysis** **Key Themes (max 5 points)** 1. Diversity and representation in the wine industry 2. Overcoming adversity and rebuilding after disasters 3. Mentorship and community building for underrepresented groups 4. Sustainability in winemaking (both environmental and social) 5. Authentic storytelling to engage new consumers **Summary (max 200 words)** Priyanka French, the first Indian national to earn a master's in viticulture from UC Davis, shares her journey from Mumbai to becoming a prominent winemaker in Napa Valley. She discusses the challenges of being a young woman of color in a predominantly white, male industry, recalling her initial intimidation at UC Davis when she didn't recognize grape varieties mentioned during a tour. French emphasizes the importance of mentors like Linda Bisson who supported her early career. She details her work rebuilding Signorello Estate after the 2017 fires destroyed the winery, developing innovative approaches to fire prevention and smoke taint management. French now serves as general manager at Napa Wine Company while leading diversity initiatives through Wine Unify (providing over 400 scholarships to underrepresented communities) and Batonach (mentorship for women in wine). She advocates for authentic storytelling to connect with younger consumers, moving beyond traditional European-centric wine narratives to include diverse cultural perspectives. As a working mother of two young children, she reflects on balancing career and family while serving as a role model. French challenges the narrative that young people aren't interested in wine, arguing instead that they seek authentic experiences and connections that reflect their diverse backgrounds and values. **Key Takeaways (max 6 points)** - French broke barriers as the first Indian national to complete UC Davis' viticulture program and became one of few Indian women winemakers in California - She developed innovative approaches to fire prevention including using sheep to manage brush and high-pressure water systems after rebuilding Signorello Estate following the 2017 Napa fires - French emphasizes that authentic storytelling connecting wine to diverse cultural experiences is key to engaging younger consumers - Through Wine Unify, she has helped provide educational opportunities and scholarships to over 400 individuals from underrepresented communities - She believes sustainable winemaking encompasses both environmental practices and social inclusion initiatives - French advocates for creating supportive communities rather than expecting individuals from underrepresented groups to navigate the industry alone **Notable Quotes (max 3)** - "Great wines are made in the vineyard and nurtured by a strong team and brought to life through collaboration and storytelling" - "It's not that young people don't want to drink wine. It's that if they are going to invest in the experience of coming to Napa... They want to hear something that's authentic and something that's real" - "The whole point of wine is to have conversations. It's a social impetus, if you will. It's meant to bring people together in community" **Follow-up Questions (max 3)** 1. How can the wine industry better support working mothers like yourself who are trying to balance family life with demanding careers in winemaking? 2. What specific strategies have proven most effective in helping Wine Unify scholarship recipients transition from education to meaningful careers in the wine industry? 3. How might the approaches you developed for smoke taint management at Signorello be adapted by smaller wineries with more limited resources?
About This Episode
Speaker 0 discusses their experience in the wine industry and how it made them feel lucky to be a female student. They also talk about their parents' reactions to their career choice and how their parents' support has helped them learn and explore their interests. They discuss their decision to pursue a career in wine and the challenges of rebuilding a wine winery. They emphasize the importance of understanding one's own values and culture and emphasize the need for community and authentic story building in the industry. They also discuss their mentorship program and the importance of fostering inclusivity and innovation in winemaking. They emphasize the need for community and authentic story building in the industry.
Transcript
It was something. It was frightening because I walked in and, you know, like you said, there was no one else that looked like me, and we had a tour of the facility, which was amazing. And at the end of it, they took us to Wixen Hall, which was the original winery at on Davis. And Chuck, who was the cellar master, pulled out, a couple of thieves and started tasting. And, you know, people were throwing out woods like Grenache and Tempranillo, and I never heard of those varieties. I mean, I knew Cabernet, Shiraz, and Chardonnay because that's all that was being written about in the magazines in India. So I went home pretty crushed that first evening because I was just like, what did I do? Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. I'm Cynthia Chaplin, and this is Voices. Every Wednesday, I will be sharing conversations with international wine industry professionals discussing issues in diversity, equity, and inclusion through their personal experiences working in the field of wine. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and rate our show wherever you get your pods. Hello, and welcome to Voices. This is Cynthia Chaplin. And today, I am so excited to welcome Priyanka Dar French to Voices. In May, Priyanka was named general manager at Napa Wine Company and winemaker at Ghost Block Wines. She was named to wine enthusiast future 40 in 2023, and she is a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in the wine industry, which is why I love her. She serves on the board of directors for Wine Unify and is the mentorship program director for women in wine at Batonach. So I'm so happy to have you here today. Welcome. Thank you, Cynthia. I'm very excited to be speaking with you today as well. Well, first of all, you you are so young. You've done all this stuff. I feel ashamed of myself. Let let's get some backstory here. I know you grew up in Mumbai, and you got your bachelor's degree in technology and food science there. And you went to work for Nestle. And I don't see any wine in that story at all. So how did you get into wine and end up in California? It's actually you know, it's a funny story because I didn't grow up with wine. Wine was never a beverage of choice around me. So, sometimes I think back to how it all started and, you know, kind of just, one of my life mottos has always been don't think, just jump, and that's kind of how it happened. So when I started food technology and studying that, it was a relatively new field in India, and it was a time when India was starting to see a lot of foreign investment in that field. So, you know, big, multinationals like Unilever and, General Mills and Nestle, you know, you know, they were all coming in. Coca Cola had started a big manufacturing plant. So it was a kind of bustling field, and then that's how I got into it more for the love of the subjects than a real understanding of what the industry was. And, I worked at Nestle with chocolate, and that was fun, but just didn't feel, Yeah. I did quality control too. So I can't eat Kit Kat anymore because once you've eaten it fresh off the line, you just the whole unwrapping process, it just takes it away. But, I just, yeah, it it was fun, but it didn't feel like something I wanted to do for a life decision. And thereafter, all of the other opportunities and experiences I had just kind of felt a bit limiting. And one of the field trips that we did was to Sula Vineyards, which was which is currently one of the bigger wineries in India. And so a huge part of that experience was that we visited the winery during harvest. So I got to kinda see a little bit of the harvest action. You know, there was such a a wonderful aspect of being creative with the product and not just from a food engineering. Food engineering is really about streamlining and, you know, making a consistent product. And I think that's where, my lack of excitement lay was I just didn't wanna rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. And so wine just seemed like something different and unique, and I just don't think just jump. I just jumped right into it. I love that. I think that's fantastic. I have to say tasting Kit Kats for a living doesn't sound like a bad job, but I can see where it would probably get a little boring after a while. And, you know, wine is never the same two years in a row, so I understand the attraction. It's it's great because you were the first Indian national to receive a master's of science in viticulture and enology from UC Davis in 2011, so pretty recently in the scheme of things. What was it like being a young female student from India at UC Davis, you know, fifteen years ago? It's not easy to, you know, sort of succeed and find your path when nobody else in the room looks like you. How how was it for you moving all the way there and and going through that? You know, when I when I left when I left home and I when I made this decision and I said, I'm gonna go in and do this, there was obviously a lot of excitement because it had been my choice, but, I didn't necessarily have the full support of my parents. So there was a bit of a stress of needing to kinda meet their expectations, which their expectations were whatever you do, just do it well. And that's kind of always been the mantra in my house as well. And so when I left the country and I kinda landed in The US, I was kind of brimming with excitement just at the unknown and the fact that I was on this journey of exploration and going to learn something completely new. And then when I got to Davis, you know, the campus is amazing. There's a wonderful history when it comes to the academia around the wine industry. You know, some of our the professors that I got to interact with are legendary in their field. You know, I was I was still there when professor Linda Besson was there and professor Roger Bolton and Andrew Waterhouse. So really kind of that amazing group of professors that helped define Davis. But my first day was, it was something. It was frightening because I walked in and, you know, like you said, there was no one else that looked like me. And we had a tour of the facility, which was amazing. And at the end of it, they took us to Wixson Hall, which was the original winery at on Davis. And Chuck, who was the cellar master, pulled out, a couple of thieves and started tasting. And, you know, people were throwing out woods like Grenache and Tempranillo, and I never heard of those varieties. I mean, I knew Cabernet, Shiraz, and Chardonnay because that's all that was being written about in the magazines in India. So I went home pretty crushed that first evening because I was just like, what did I do? Kinda young and impulsive. But my roommate said to me, she goes, I think you just owe it to yourself and to your parents to stick it out for a month. And if you can't, even and after a month, if you say I can't do it, then at least you've given it a real shot. And so I I thought I thought she had a point. And then the next day, we had our first classes, which was wine chemistry. Professor Sue Ebeler was known to be, you know, kind of a more stricter professor, and she was talking about molarity and chemistry, and I could follow along. And I just you know, that kind of sparked that, okay. I can do this. I think I know what's going on. And then I found wonderful people. One of, you know, one of my best friends through Davis, Emily Goodell, who now has a winery and, you know, is doing her own her business in Traverse City, Michigan, really took me under her wing. And I didn't have a car, so she would, you know, drive me around. We went to Napa together. She really helped me learn and explore about the industry. My other colleagues as well, Jose, Christina, you know, we found a really good community. And then the professors at Davis, I have to give them a huge nod. They were so supportive of whatever I needed to do, you know, helped with sending out emails when it was time for internships and scholarship applications. So I received a lot o
