<< Back to News

Greek Lamp Inspires and Lights the Way

December 1, 2003
by Doug Noble, Democrat correspondent

Auriga Wine Cellars is one of the newest, and smallest, wineries in El Dorado County. The owners, Richard and Diane Stading, live on Newtown Road in Placerville, adjacent to their vineyard, but their wines are presently being custom-crushed for them at Madroña Vineyards in Camino.

The first thing you are probably asking is "What is an Auriga?"

"We wanted a classy looking label that would catch the eye," said Richard. "We have an old Greek lamp we thought would look great on the label, so we looked for a name to go with it. We picked Elysium, but it turned out to be a trademarked name at another winery. So, Diane and I searched through Greek Mythology for a new name. Auriga is the Greek and Roman name for a constellation of stars in the northern sky. It means charioteer. It was appropriate, we liked it, and it became the name of our winery."

The Stadings liked the country life and over the years worked their way towards the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. "We started from the Bay Area," they said, "and moved first to Citrus Heights, then Folsom and then to this home on Newtown Road seven years ago.

"When I saw the property, I loved it," said Richard. The land between the house and the road had the perfect orientation for grapes. We bought the house, put up deer fencing and planted the grapes. We planned to be growers and let the property provide some income."

Max's Vineyard, which is named after Maximilian the cat or "our four-legged son," as Diane calls him, contains two and a half acres of Syrah grapes and the rest is Zinfandel, Mourvedre and Petite Sirah. "The Syrah is for the wine we plan to sell, the others are for our own use," said Richard. "At first we were just going to sell the grapes, but with the market as it is, and having too many grapes for home winemaking, we decided to become a boutique winery using our own grapes and buying some if they met our high standards.

"We like the big fruit, Australian style Shiraz wines, which are made with Syrah grapes. Diane and I took a trip to Barossa Valley in Australia where they make these kind of wines and spoke with the winemakers. We found out a lot about their technique, along with the fact that they use a lot of barrels made from American oak. However, I prefer French oak or Hungarian oak barrels for my wine. I especially like the way the Hungarian oak barrels give the wine a hint of cinnamon and cardamom," Richard said.

"By the way," added Richard, "the Australians pronounce the wine 'Shir RAZZ,' not 'Shir OZ' like we do. The name comes from the city in Iran by the name of Shiraz where the grape was first grown. From there, many people believe the grapes went to France and had the name changed to Syrah. It is kind of like Mourvedre, which is the French name for the Spanish Mataro grape."

The Stadings didn't just start in the winery business, in addition to visiting Australia, they took the time to learn the proper winemaking techniques. "After we planted the grapes, I started taking university extension courses on winemaking," said Richard.

"Then we joined the El Dorado Grape Grower's Association and the El Dorado Home Winemakers. The parties and meetings the Winemakers held were like going to Napa in the late 1960s. There would be 200 people there and many would bring their wines to sample. There was a friendly competition between the winemakers and also one between the gourmet cooks. Everything produced a wonderful synergy and I was bitten by the 'wine bug,'" he added.

"Making wine isn't just crushing the grapes and waiting," continued Richard. "Since I use my own grapes in the Syrah, I start making the wine for that year even before the blossoms appear on the vines in the Spring. I control the amount of water the vines get and as the season proceeds, I remove some of the canopy of leaves to make sure the developing grapes get just the right amount of sun and shade. Then I do something that is very difficult for a grower to do: I drop all but the very best bunches prior to harvest. When the pickers go into the vineyard in the late summer, all that is left are the best of the grapes and they can pick everything that is there," he said.

"As a home winemaker I won a lot of gold medals because of the quality of my wine and I want that same quality in my commercial wines. I don't plan on getting rich in the wine business, but I sure love what I do," he concluded.

Diane confirmed the amount of time Richard spends in the vineyards making things just right. "Sometimes I feel like a vineyard widow, but then he lets me get another cat to keep me company," she said with a smile.

As mentioned, the Stading's wine is presently made for them at Madroña Vineyards in Camino. "I am there to make decisions about my wine and Paul and Maggie Bush teach you as much as you can absorb," said Richard. "They are wonderful people who are willing to share their expertise. The same goes for John and Susan Smith at Oakstone Winery and others. It is hard to be a small, boutique winery, but all of these people make it easier.

Diane Stading recently took a half-year sabbatical from her job at EMC Corporation to help set up the Web page and do marketing for the winery. When not tending the vineyard or making wine, Richard is the manager of outpatient surgery for Kaiser in Sacramento.

The first two wines from Auriga, the Syrah from their own vineyard and a Zinfandel made from Madroña Vineyard grapes, will be available at the WineSmith in Placerville and up-scale restaurants in early December.