Matt Niess' native wines made with vinous californica

Matt Niess was one of the standouts on our panel on sustainability at our recent festival, Unfiltered: Conversations About Wine. He's a dynamic speaker who puts his mouth where his wine is, pouring outstanding versions of native hybrids that require no spray or irrigation. Matt's message and approach to winemaking are radical and important, so any help you can offer in spreading the word is appreciated:

Matt Niess, North American Press

@ Donkey and Goat Winery in Berkeley, September 11

Doors at 5p, lecture and pour 6p - 7:30p

We’re lucky enough to find a calling in life. In the case of Matt Niess, however, it feels as if the calling found him. Matt is on a mission to redefine the meaning of terroir in America—from the grape up. But that’s not all: by reintroducing native grapes and more climate resilient grafts, Matt is one of the few winemakers successfully practicing truly sustainable winemaking while simultaneously raising the bar on what it means to make California wine that is actually ‘from a place’.

Raised by fishmongers and foodies, Matt discovered the transformative powers of sharing food, community and connection with others and foolishly followed his heart into professional cooking, where he orchestrated pairings and tastings. Fearing an irreversible slide into the culinary abyss of working late nights, long hours, weekends and holidays, Matt escaped into a different problem: a steady job as a structural engineer. While Matt enjoyed the technical and analytical aspects of engineering, he missed the artful howls of midnight culinary mayhem. Sensing wine was the happy medium, he took winemaking courses and eventually secured an internship at Radio-Coteau, which specializes in organic viticulture and sustainability. Nearly 10 years later, having worked his way through the ranks, Matt had an epiphany when he learned about native and hybrid varietals thriving in the wild without sprays and irrigation.

With temperatures rising, unpredictable rains, increasing reliance on spraying and a slew of other challenges facing local viticulture, is it time for us to stop buying Sauvignon Blanc and Cab Franc and get more familiar with Lenoir, Catawba, Brianna and Baco Noir? The Chef in Matt wondered why no one was working with these incredible ingredients? So he found a pristine plot, planted native vines and began his small project with the lofty goal of redefining not only the narrative around native grapes, but the fundamental approach to sustainability in the industry. Native grapes don’t just taste good, they do good.

But beyond his mission to change the world rests the one truth that runs through all of Matt’s life: he just wants to help connect people, to nourish and build community through his work. He wants to make the world a better place. And Matt’s wines do just that.

We are thrilled to host an incredible winemaker, an inspirational climate advocate and a downright awesome person: Matt Niess. Please join us for an intimate conversation and guided tasting with one of America's most innovative and passionate artisan winemakers. Doors open at 5pm, lecture and pouring at 6pm, open conversation 7-8p.

https://northamericanpress.wine/

When: Thursday evenings from 5-8 pmGuided Winemaker Tasting, 6-7 pmWhere: Donkey & Goat Winery, 1340 5th Street BerkeleyCost: $15 for entry, includes splash of D&G wine and guided tasting of 3-4 wines

RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVzTq_U0eOzziVcTmAKVZ_j9UGQwfPx-p3sYR91bEBwLfUyA/viewform

Host or Publisher Donkey and Goat