Photo by Nicola Parisi.
This month Tennesseans will have the chance to enjoy a glass of their new favorite wine — and get to know their new favorite winemaker: Ultraviolet Wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon and sparkling rosé made by award-winning winemaker Samantha Sheehan in Napa, California.
With over a decade of winemaking experience under her belt, Sheehan is known for producing some of the best and most delightful wines coming out of the Napa region, so it’s no surprise that Whole Foods has selected her as a Featured Winemaker with plans to showcase her work across the country — including in Nashville. It’s a milestone that’s not lost on the winemaker, who has already achieved immense success in her career. Sheehan has created and grown two other brands, POE Wines and Mommenpop Spirits, and was named one of Food and Wine Magazine’s “Fifteen Women to Watch in Wine.”
“The first time I saw my wine at Whole Foods was when I was shopping for groceries at the Napa store,” she says. “There was an entire shelf filled with my rosé by the checkout and I stopped and just stared for about ten minutes. I really did not want to move; I just wanted to soak in the feeling that I had made it. All of the winemakers in Napa were going to have to walk past that wall of rosé to checkout and they would see my brand. So, it means a lot.”
For Sheehan, the work is personal, as she’s dedicated herself to creating wines made in an artisanal manner, without any additives other than a judicious amount of sulfur. She’s as passionate about the purity of the wines as she is about their flavor profiles. “The sparkling rosé is not only refreshing (it has bright acidity and small persistent bubbles), but it also has lots of luscious red fruit,” she says. “I love the balance of that: It’s light on its feet but also very flavorful — I feel like most sparkling wine goes one direction or the other. The Cabernet Sauvignon is similar to the sparkling in that capacity. It has beautiful balance and freshness, so it pairs wonderfully with food. But it also has generous fruit flavors (plums, blueberry, blackberry) which makes it a pleasure to drink. I think that is what sets the Ultraviolet wines apart, the tightrope. They are bright and not heavy or sweet, but fruit-forward and rewarding.” Creating a product she could be proud of with her own two hands was what originally lured Sheehan to the industry.
“I was working at Deloitte in the International Tax Group and decided to take some time off before going to law school. For a real change of scene, I chose to work a harvest at a winery in Napa. Obviously, I never went to law school,” she says. “My business allows me to be outside all of the time—in the vineyard, or at the winery. I get to meet the most incredible people from all facets of the industry: other winemakers, vineyard owners, customers, chefs. It’s wonderful. It is also very tactile. Making a consumable product like wine that I can drink at the end of the day gives me great joy.”
When it comes to her philosophy on wine, she waxes the same opinion on making the vino as she does drinking it. “Just to enjoy it, and therefore to make wine I want to drink. Whenever I hear customers who really want to describe their experience with me but don’t feel like they have the vocabulary, I always say, ‘Did you enjoy it? Because that’s all I want to know!’” And now she’s enjoying the fruits of her labor in parts previously unknown, thanks in part to her Whole Foods partnership. She’s especially looking forward to enjoying a glass here in Nashville. “I love to travel and meet people, and I’ve been dying to spend time in Tennessee, which I hear is wonderful. The music, the people, the food, the culture. I can’t wait to have a reason to spend time there now and hopefully become more entwined in the food and wine scene,” she says. “Since my wines feel like a part of me, it’s very exciting.” Ultraviolet Sparkling Rose ($25) and Cabernet Sauvignon ($17) will both be available at Whole Foods this month, or visit ultravioletwines.com/shop.