Hi all!

While hibernation season has come and gone, we have been flexing our creative muscles in the winery, at home, and even abroad.

We were lucky enough to spend a few weeks in India over the winter, where our senses and mindsets were challenged. That trip calibrated our perspectives on a few things. An obvious one to start - food. Maybe not in the way most would assume. The most inspiring bite was not from the masala-heavy food stalls like everyone promised but rather from the few home cooked meals we were treated to - made with local produce, freshly ground spices and with hands instead of appliances. As we mentioned in our newsletter, this simple yet pure approach to cooking has been a revelation. We try to follow these principles when we cook at home.

In the same vein, the value of sharing a meal was not lost on us. Even with language barriers, everyone was able to communicate gratitude by licking their plates clean (not literally, though sometimes we wanted to). Everything revolved around food, from the welcome chai to the packaged goodbye naasto (snack). Preparing food is one of the most personal things one can do, and sharing that with others is an obvious expression of love. It became clear to us that the consciousness put into making the food made it taste so much better.

Being away from home also clarified how important our rituals are to feel grounded. Being in a totally different environment, we found ourselves craving the same things that we gravitate towards at home. Spending quality time, preferably in Nature, even more preferably with a shared bottle of natural wine. This ritual always connects us to each other and our surroundings; it forcibly sets aside time to still the spirit and wax about thoughts that cross our minds, share gratitudes that may otherwise go unrecognized, etc. It may sound cliché, but it is one for a reason. Life is all about the simple truths.

Of course, the sheer time of being away helps clear the slate. Ryker has been tinkering with our red and white blends since our return and we are getting really close to our final ratios. Pooja has proven to be an intuitive, albeit a bit harsh, critic. Our favorite thing about blending is seeing where the tasting notes take us. Everything is an energy… a vibe if you will. Hint: one of our wines really makes us feel like we are lounging along the riviera. As promised, we are on track for collection i release in spring 2025 with additional bottlings lined up the remainder of the year. Right now, we have our limited quantity blush in bottle - a young wine meant to be enjoyed fresh. If you’re interested in having a sip, you can contact us directly or through IG @idolawineco.

Seeing the blush from start to finish really forced us to practice trusting the process, from both the winemaking and designing sides. It’s too easy to get caught up in the gravity of the details, particularly when we are working on our inaugural release (no pressure, right?). Luckily, one of us usually has the 30,000ft view of the project to keep us from getting caught in the trenches. Nothing is permanent, and that is a good thing. Our wines will change per Nature’s protocol year after year, we will grow, and our choices will continue to evolve. At the heart of it all, our intention remains on fostering art and respecting the energy we feel.

And finally, a few moments of recent inspiration. Hopefully this little segment encourages you to reflect on what your inspiration has been recently - we find life looks a little more romantic through this lens.

If you haven’t already noticed, we have been taking our new camera everywhere. Vintage film photography has been a huge source of creative inspiration for us. It encourages us to see vignettes in daily life. (Romantic!)

We have been pairing our meals while tasting our ídola blends outside of the winery. Just as the wine is made in a minimal-intervention style, we have found the best foods come in a similar fashion. We have been really inspired by simple foods - peasant meals, pueblo food, sattvic principles, call it what you want. We look to the freshest ingredients available to us and prepare them in a way that lets their essence shine. Shout out India for that gentle reminder!

And as always, we are looking to Nature for the most inspiration. The classic flowers-in-bloom as Spring comes around, the longer evenings, the few short, sweet months the hills in CA are actually green. But a little extra special thing we did recently - Stepladder Creamery! Seeing the goats roaming free, with honey bees buzzing nearby and a handful of cows grazing in the distance, surrounded by hundreds of avocado trees.. It all reiterated the beauty of ethical sourcing. The love was really palpable in the air.

Reflections After Rest