Mountain Tides

In 2016, Scott Kirkpatrick and Allison Watkins decided to combine their artistic talents, winemaking experience, and passion into a new project called Mountain Tides. Mountain Tides is a small-production winery devoted entirely to wines, both red and rosé, made with Petite Sirah. While Kirkpatrick’s first love in wine was cru Beaujolais, he was pulled in by the highly floral, aromatic quality of just-picked Petite Sirah that he experienced from working in a custom-crush facility and seeing fruit from all over California. Kirkpatrick and Watkins then became curious to get to know the variety and to learn how to reduce the impact of work in the cellar in order to preserve that aromatic character. They have been turning to practices during fermentation that are closer to infusion rather than extraction – letting the fruit soak rather than punching it down to extract matter from the skins – while also making wine from Petite Sirah sites throughout California.