The Unsung Heroes of Wine Country

Lin-Manuel Miranda famously sang, “Immigrants, we get the job done.” Hidden in the hills of Santa Barbara, California, working on limestone soils cooled by Pacific winds, Stolpman Vineyards’ La Cuadrilla or “the gang,” painstakingly gets the job done by hand. They are the workers caring for the long grape harvest through precise farming, native fermentation and minimal manipulation, all without the aid of tractors or other modern-day conveniences.

Given the wine industry’s labor shortage, people like La Cuadrilla are especially rare. “In an era when the wine industry is moving towards mechanization, Stolpman Vineyards has gone the opposite direction. We spare no effort in meticulous pruning cuts, vine training, and adjustments,” according to their website.

La Cuadrilla works year-round under the tutelage of Vineyard Manager Ruben Solorzano, who teaches them the lifecycle of vines and gives them a small vineyard block so that they may take ownership of their own land. This empowers the crew to become not just vineyard workers, but invested farmers who care about the vines. They are passionate wine producers who take pride in their work and make Stolpman Vineyards La Cuadrilla Red Blend to serve at their own dinner tables.

Stolpman Vineyards favors “naked fermentation with no inoculation, sulfur, or other additions. In many cases we choose not to crush the grapes or we leave bunches whole – aiming for light, nuanced extraction. Fruit destined for red wine is foot-trod and gently circulated to avoid coarse obstructive notes.”

A colorful character and frequent traveler, Vigneron Ruben Solorzano immigrated to the U.S. in 1989, when he learned wine grapes and has become a leading California winegrower, farming several celebrated vineyards. Once crowned “the Grape Whisperer” by Wine Enthusiast Contributing Editor Matt Kettmann, Solorzano has said that his understanding of viticulture has been greatly influenced by trips to Côte-Rôtie in the northern Rhône wine region of France.

In the documentary Harvest Season, 2-time Emmy-nominated Mexican-American filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz features the rarely-recognized Latino vineyard workers who have worked on U.S. grape harvests for generations, and the California wildfires that affect their livelihoods.

“Boutique hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, and elegant tasting rooms overlooking vineyards — that’s the way we see California’s Napa Valley. Missing from this tourism bureau Instagram feed are the people just off-camera, whose unseen labors keep wine country in business,” according to the film’s website.

“Surprisingly, there aren’t any other films or documentaries about the immigrant presence in California wine, given how much the industry relies on immigrant labor, and the bulk of it comes from Mexico,” Ruiz told NBC News.

Managing Partners Pete and Jessica Stolpman see their people. La Cuadrilla receives the profits of 10% of all bottles produced, so that they may further support their families. “The profits are returned to the crew members, divided by seniority, in the form of a year-end bonus,” they told the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation.

“Harvest Season” is available to watch on PBS, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

Photos courtesy of Stolpman Vineyards.