Winemaker Martha Stoumen opened her debut tasting room in downtown Healdsburg on Oct. 9, marking a milestone since launching her brand in 2014.
The venue embodies her dedication to natural winemaking and building community, with the intention to serve as a “third place” gathering space.
Stoumen, a Sonoma County native, refined her craft around the globe before returning home to establish her label. She specializes in making wine from organic, old vine, dry-farmed vineyard sources, using less common varieties like colombard and negroamaro, as well as historic field blends.
Recently, the brand joined The Overshine Collective, uniting six independent producers who share resources while preserving creative control, in partnership with founder David Drummond.
Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work?
Martha Stoumen: Go intern on a farm in Tuscany, ride your bike through the morning mist to work, eat figs from centuries-old trees flanking the vineyard, and I promise you’ll come home declaring you want to be a winemaker too. After studying environmental studies, traditional agricultural systems and Italian in college, I went to work at a farm outside of Siena called Tenuta di Spannocchia.
There, I fell in love with so many tastes and smells and feelings. But the bubbling tanks in the cellar, the smell of fermentation, the feeling of being physically spent at the end of the day—the magenta foam—was truly the best. I felt like a little kid at play.
Did you ever have an ‘aha’ moment with a certain beverage? If so, tell us about it.
The first time I tried a natural wine (a very well made one at that), my senses were pulled into a new plane with extra dimensions. I didn’t know what natural wine was. But once I researched how this wine was farmed and made, it all made sense.
What is your favorite thing to drink at home?
We have a beverage for every moment. My five year old makes smoothies and chooses different fruit blends in the morning—he’s quite good at it. So coffee and/or smoothie in the morning. Fine-bubble sparkling water makes me feel like a wealthy woman, so a fancy bottle becomes a treat during a difficult work day. And of course wine in the evening. There is no match for the diversity in flavors of wine.
Where do you like to go out for a drink?
The Redwood in Sebastopol. But don’t just drink; eat too.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you want to be drinking (besides fresh water)?
I would wish for the wine equivalent of Noah’s Ark to wash ashore. I love drinking across the vast wine spectrum, and I’ll never taste all of the expressions that this one fruit can make (aka, don’t make me choose).
Martha Stoumen Wines, 325 Center St., Healdsburg, 707.473.8266. marthastoumen.com.
Dining and Cooking