Mindful Wine Journal: Producer Spotlight
Centralas Wine | Los Angeles County, CA
Based in South Central Los Angeles, Centralas is working to reclaim LA’s forgotten agricultural history, one regenerative square foot at a time. Part of the small but growing the LA wine movement, founders Adam and Wendy Huss produce organic, naturally made wines and grow fruits and vegetables from their ecological urban farm and winegarden. Adam hand-tends Syrah and Southern Italian varietals in his front and hack yard to produce "Crenshaw Cru", and they also purchase fruit from organic vineyards in LA County for the rest of the Centralas offering which includes crisp whites, barrel-aged rose, and a mix of both chillable and ageworthy reds. Viewing regenerative agriculture as whole system approach, Adam and Wendy work in service to their local community and are active in the greater LA urban farm scene. (Adam is also the genius behind The Organic Wine Podcast — a must for any supporter of organic and regenerative viticulture.)
Centralas is on the forefront of the changes that are needed in the wine industry if it wishes to sustain itself for future generations in the face of rapidly changing climate. “Organic viticulture protects biodiversity in the vineyard soil, flora, and fauna,” explains Adam. “This biodiversity grows more nutrient dense fruit resulting in more complex and vibrant wine.” Centralas sets the ecological bar high, being ingredient-transparent (ensuring that any drinker knows exactly what goes into their wine) and using the lightest available, locally made glass bottles to minimize carbon footprint. Adam has recently begun experimenting with co-ferments with foraged apples and indigenous fruits like prickly pear, as well as hybrid and native American grape varietals, to further anchor Centralas as a true expression LA terroir.
What we love...
2021 "IF YOU'RE FALLING" GRAPE AND PRICKLY PEAR WINE
Hand-foraged, native prickly pears from an uncultivated cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean have been blended with organically farmed Muscat and Viognier grapes from the Antelope Valley to produce this one-of-a-kind wine that proves delicious wine can be made with fruits beyond vinifera. Peach, hibiscus and palo santo notes evoke mountain, desert and sea origins that are uniquely Southern Californian.
Discover more:
@centralaswine
www.centralaswine.com