Brian Benson Cellars

Brian Benson, a 25-year-old lover of cars and wine, is one of the most unusual winemakers you will come across. He is the closest thing the wine industry has to a wine prodigy. Brian Benson got his start in the wine business while spending time at his Grandparents’ Paso Robles vineyard and his Father’s winery on the weekends while he was still in elementary school. In 1995, when his father, Norm, bought Dark Star Cellars, a 10-acre winery in Westside Paso Robles, Benson began working at the winery part-time, gaining extensive knowledge and experience in the wine business. When he was just 12 years old, Brian Benson made his first wine, a Cabernet, under his father’s supervision in 1997. When he was fifteen years old, Brian Benson became a full time assistant winemaker to his father at the Dark Star, gaining further priceless experience and insight into the wine business. After he graduated from high school, Benson knew that he wanted to start making his own wines, and with less than 2,000 dollars Benson was able to make his dream come true at the age of 19 by working deals with local growers. That same year, Benson handcrafted his first two commercial vintages, a Cabernet and a Zinfandel, producing 147 cases of wine in his first year. The following year, Benson, using the same methods and vintages, increased his winery's production to 450 cases of wine.

Although Benson had yet to release his first vintages, he had big dreams for the following year. However, later that year, he met great personal tragedy when he lost two of the closest people to him: his grandfather and a valued friend, Allan Brockett, both of whom were huge inspirations in Benson’s life for starting a winery. Although the tragedy struck a deep cord within the young winemaker, Benson knew that they would want him to continue with his passion for making wine. When it came time to choosing a label for his wine, Benson chose two praying angels as a memorial to his grandfather and close friend.

Brian Benson’s 21st birthday was the highlight of his young career, as he released his first vintage and poured right beside his father at the Dark Star. In 2005, the Brian Benson Cellars outgrew its production space at his father’s winery, and Benson was forced to move his winemaking business to Denner Vineyards, a brand new, high-tech gravity winery.

Since his first release in 2003, Benson has increased his production of Rhone varietals, as well as created a new customized blend of wine that combines his two passions: wine and cars. In 2005, Benson created a specialized red wine blend called Brian Benson Cellars Kustom Series Shop Truck Red that will be a different blend of red wine every year, and its release will coincide with his completion of a newly built custom car or hot rod. Both a creative idea and good for publicity, Benson’s Shop Truck Red has become one of the wineries featured labels.

In the near future, Brian Benson plans to expand his Rhone wine varietals even further and double his current winery’s production size, in the hopes of putting his winery on the map of fine Paso Robles wine.

Wine is Art

"Wine is art. Opinions about art are subjective. Trusting your palate is like looking at painted art; people either understand it and admire it or they don’t relate to it. It’s critical to remember that people enjoy many types of art and it’s true that when people open a bottle of wine, they want to like it, whether they do or not is up to the individual’s tastes. Thus our company’s mission is to convey the story of various origins of wine to people who embrace wine as a dynamic art made by hand."

-Boutique Wine Collection

Richard Betts Holds the Keys to Terroir

In 1971, Richard Betts was born in Syracuse, New York. His parents subsequently moved to Tucsan, Arizona where he grew up. Richard Betts is currently the resident Master Sommelier at Aspen, Colorado’s Little Nell. Betts took an unorthodox route to the wine business, but his unusual journey to the world of wine did not adversely affect him, as he has become one of the best sommeliers in the business.

Richard Betts graduated from Los Angeles’ Occidental College in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology. From there, he went on to get his Master’s degree from the Northern Arizona University. While traveling through Florence, Italy in 1992, Richard Betts first became interested in wine; however, he did not pursue a career in wine until after he had received his Master’s degree. Richard Betts first realized he wanted to work in the wine business when he was working on defending his Master’s thesis. During the preparation of his thesis, Betts had a glass of wine that catalyzed his journey into the wine world. It tasted exactly like a glass he had several years previously when he was in Italy, and it brought back vivid memories of the dining experience. He believed right then in the power of the taste and smell of wine, and he knew he had to work with wine.

Richard Betts’ first job was as a cook at Janos, a Tucson restaurant. After he worked in the kitchen, he became the restaurant’s sommelier for two years. In 2000, he moved onto another restaurant, taking an open position at Montagne at the Little Nell: the world renown restaurant that has won the Wine Spectator Grand Award for the past decade.

Currently, Richard Betts produces wine from Australia and France with his partner Dennis Scholl under their joint names. He also assists two other local wine enthusiasts, chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and sommelier Bobby Stuckey, produce their own label, La Scarapetta. La Scarapetta produces some of the finest Italian wines, as well as imports them. Although Richard Betts often jokes that he drinks his “weight in French wine,” he enjoys wine from around the world.

When Richard Betts is selecting wine for his renown restaurant, the wine has to pass one test: it has to capture its terroir. If a wine has made it onto Little Nell’s wine list, you can be sure it is not only a world-class wine, but a trip in a glass. Betts only puts wine on his tables that make him want to pack his bags and see the land for himself. According to Richard Betts, the way wine smells “is the intellectual value of wine, the ability of this singular alcoholic beverage to communicate to us a grape, a place, its geography, geology, history, people, cuisine, and so on and so forth. Nothing else can do this like wine.” If the wine does not reflect its terroir to his satisfaction, the wine is out.

A new trend has arisen: to make wine taste geography-less. Richard Betts despises this practice. In his opinion, and mine, wine should be made with the intention of being its region’s spokesperson. Wine is one of the few products that retains a sense of history, an address. If all wines became indistinguishable, you would need only one bottle of each variety to complete your cellar. What a crime it would be to deny wine the single most important thing that differentiates it from other alcoholic beverages. Inside each bottle, wine preserves its citizenship, and that is its beauty. I would have to agree with Richard Betts and say: I would sooner drink tequila than mass produced, terroir-less wine.

As the Little Nell's Master Sommelier, Richard Betts has the opportunity to taste countless wines and pair them craftily with the dinner menu. Betts feels he has one of the best wine jobs in the world, and I would have to agree.

Andrea Immer Robinson: A Wine Guru

Andrea Immer Robinson is currently only one of 14 women who have been appointed to Master Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers, and wine authorities proclaim her to be one of the nation’s leading wine experts who constantly educates the public about wine through several medias. Andrea Immer Robinson was the first woman to be honored with the title of Best Sommelier in the United States by the Sommelier Society of America, and she studied at New York’s prestigious Wine Studies for The French Culinary Institute. She graduated from the institution’s 600-hour culinary program with honors and later become the Dean of the Institute. Most recently, Andrea Immer Robinson became Delta’s Master Sommelier. Her duties will include selecting all of the in-flight wine the company will be offering, as well as training Delta’s staff how to serve it. She will also be creating entertaining in-flight videos for Delta’s passengers.

Prior to being appointed Delta’s Master Sommelier, Andrea Immer Robinson received several accolades for her marked wine genius. She has received notice from several of the nation’s top magazines, including Wine and Spirits and Bon Appetit. She has also written numerous books on wine, which won her the Wine Literary Award for her contributions to wine literature. Great Wine Made Simple was her first book, as well as a huge success, landing her a spot in the wine world limelight. The book established her as one of America’s top wine authorities, getting her nominated for the James Beard Award. Andrea Immer Robinson writes with a realistic style that has captured the attention of Americans with its originality. Both the publishers and critics have found her subsequent writings equally as good, causing her career to soar. She began airing on the Fine Living TV Network in 2004, and her show, Simply Wine with Andrea Immer, compliments her two earlier shows.

Before becoming a major author and television host, Andrea Immer Robinson wrote for several smaller publications, was featured in several magazines, and worked as a wine consultant for several companies and cooking shows, including one of Emeril Lagasse’s. Andrea Immer Robinson continues to speak at national food and wine conventions and especially enjoys instructing hospitality students. She personally launched a USA Today-endorsed wine education program, which won several awards.

Andrea Immer Robinson’s extensive background and knowledge of wine stems from the numerous careers she has held in the business. She has had a myriad of unique and invaluable experiences in the wine industry, which make her one of the most innovative and influential wine personalities in the world. Through her practical teaching style, Andrea Immer Robinson has been able to introduce the beauty of wine to countless people, using her extensive insight to convey the essentials of appreciating wine.