Ibdatprogressive: Dr. Krupp and the Water Witch

On St. Patrick's Day this year, a friend of mine invited me to a wine maker dinner at Cuvee in Napa. The wine maker was Dr. Jan Krupp of Krupp Brothers and we dined on delicious fare prepared by Chef Jordan Mackey. The food was seriously amazing and Jordan did an excellent job with the pairings. The wines were also really fabulous! I had my first glass of Marsanne (2007 Krupp Brothers "Black Bart" Marsanne). Dr. Krupp described this as the "red drinker's white" and it was great! Krupp Brothers is really known for their reds and we did taste a Syrah and a Syrah Port from their Black Bart label which were both fantastic and perfectly paired. I could go on and on about how great the food was and how amazing the wines were...the whole evening was just awesome! But what I really want to talk about is Dr. Krupp.

Dr. Krupp was an Internist prior to getting into the wine making business. Making wine was just his hobby but he soon found that he enjoyed his hobby way more than his medical practice. Dr. Krupp and his brother, Bart, took a pretty big risk when they purchased 750 acres on Pritchard Hill in Napa. Their first challenge was to find water and Dr. Krupp said they spent thousands of dollars working with the best scientists and geologists in the area but everytime they drilled for water, they came up with nothing. Finally, they decided to hire a "Water Witch" who worked her magic and pointed them to a river running 400 feet underground. Dr. Krupp also mentioned they had to file mountains of legal paperwork just to build the main road in their vinyards but they perservered and released their first wine in 1999 and have been making great wines ever since!

I really enjoyed listening to Dr. Krupp tell his story. I greatly admire (and am a little envious) of people who have found a way to weave one of their greatest passions into what they do for a living. It takes a lot of courage to risk leaving a secure, comfortable lifestyle and everything you know to embark into the unkown to pursue your dreams. I hope I am able to figure out how to make this happen for myself one day :)

Here are a few pics from the dinner: