Luxury Life & Style

WINE ENTHUSIAST AN INTERVIEW WITH DARIOUSH KHALEDI guests at Darioush. DK: After the name with its historical relevance was picked and the packaging was designed, we knew that once we bottled our wine we had to then build the palace of Darioush the King. I hired an architect that I had worked together with on the design of my home in Palos Verdes 15 years ago. He had never built a winery before, so we traveled around and visited wineries gathering all the information we needed for the project. We spent three years in planning and design and four years building. We were both learning as we went. My goal was to create an atmosphere like you would find in a world class luxury hotel. We wanted to take the experience of wine tasting and the service level that guests receive when they visit Napa to a new level. I am impressed when I go to fine hotels and restaurants and the workers and servers really know about their products and present them with passion. That is the experience people get when they come to our winery. Not just the wine and the architecture, but the service. TK: I read recently about a partnership you have established with the artisan cheese maker, Cowgirl Creamery. How are the two of you working together? DK: They are a very fine, small production creamery. When I first went there, I thought I would be visiting a factory. But, the whole creamery was about the size of this room. Everything is incredibly high quality. We worked with them to create a wine and cheese pairing. Five of their small production artisan cheeses together with five of our small production estate-driven wines. We have a special 90-minute wine and cheese tasting experience for our guests at the winery each day. TK: A lot of attention is being paid these days to the ever increasing quality of U.S. winemaking, and Napa in particular. What is driving that trend? DK: The quality of wine in Napa today compared to 30 years ago is amazing. That is all Darioush at his Palos Verdes home Christine Ladd Huffman, claddhuffman.com. the result of people with passion who have come into the area over the years and invested their time and money to improve the method of the wine making. 30 years ago, there were maybe a handful of fine wines in Napa. Today, the region has probably 80 or 90 different brands that are world class wines. Then, wineries were investing only a couple thousand dollars per acre to take care of the vineyards. Today, people are spending $20,000 per acre just to manicure a vineyard. At our winery, for example, we drop nearly 60% of our crop before we even harvest it. Three times we go through the trimming and only the best of the best of the cluster will survive. Our average yield per acre is between a ton-and-a-half and two tons. The overall average in Napa is five to six tons per acre. This is the type of thing that makes a difference, and you can taste it in the wine. Wine drinkers here are maturing as well. Did you know, last year, for the first time ever in the United States, wine consumption surpassed beer consumption? 20 years ago, only the older more mature people would appreciate wine. Today, I see people in their twenties coming to our winery, and they quite often know exactly what they are talking about. It’s fantastic. TK: Who among the wine drinking set tends to be your customer? DK: Buyers of our wine usually have an appreciation for quality. And, the price point of our wine is such that the $74 bottle, or the $150 bottle in a restaurant, should not bother them. You never know what you are going to pay for wine in a restaurant. I once paid $290 for a bottle of my own wine! (Laughing) TK: For your own bottle! I’m afraid to ask, was that a happy moment or an unhappy moment? DK: It was at Spago at The Four Seasons on Maui. It was a happy moment. It’s very satisfying to know that our wine is being served at the best restaurants in the world. Often, when we are traveling and see our wine on the list at a great restaurant, I’ll introduce myself to the sommelier or the owner. Then, that conversation will come to include other guests at the restaurant who are drinking our wine or who are simply wine lovers. We’ve made a lot of wonderful friends that way, through wine. TK: Well, you’ve made one more today. Thanks so much for your time. DK: Thank you, Todd. It has been a pleasure. • September/October 2007 Luxury Life & Style 21 claddhuffman.com

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