You don’t need an airplane, helicopter, or Google Earth to get a bird’s-eye view of Zaca Mesa Winery. Just grab a bottle of Tread, the Los Olivos venue’s newest release.
“If you were viewing a vineyard from overhead in aerial view, you would get this picture,” Winemaker Kristin Bryden said in press materials, describing the Tread logo, which was designed by Santa Barbara-based artist Leo Basica as a series of vine rows seen from high above.
The logo works in a visual double meaning, as its abstract markings could also be interpreted as boot tread—hence the label’s name. This interpretation adds a human touch to the otherwise inhuman perspective of looking down on vine rows from somewhere in the sky.
Bryden explained that the boot tread motif came about as a way to honor those who have left invaluable footprints on Zaca Mesa Winery over the past four decades.
“As a winemaker, having a connection to the vineyard is incredibly important. When you’re in the vineyard a lot, you not only form a connection to the grapes, but you also recognize how many boots have tread upon the ground, so you can’t help but respect all the hard work that goes into nurturing the vines and all the people it takes to make quality wine,” Bryden said in press materials.
Bryden described her approach to crafting Tread as honest and minimalistic, as she aimed to preserve a sense of purity between the wines and the fruit used, hoping to make each wine’s connection to its respective vineyard unmistakable.
The Tread portfolio features six different wines—three pinot noirs and three chardonnays—which will debut at Zaca Mesa Winery’s next Wine Club release on Oct. 17. If you were to ask Bryden which of the six new wines is her personal favorite to drink, it would be the Sta. Rita Hills chardonnay, described on Tread’s website as carrying flavors of tart apple and nectarine, with a persistent, energetic acidity.
In crafting each Tread wine, Bryden and Associate Winemaker Randy Gardenhire chose fruit sourced from a handful of vineyards across Santa Barbara County, including Sierra Madre Vineyard and Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria, Zotovich Vineyard in Lompoc, and La Encantada Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley. Drawing from these vineyards is part of why the Tread concept celebrates not only the history of Zaca Mesa Winery (founded in 1973), but the history of Santa Barbara County’s wine industry in general.
Aside from paying homage to vineyard and local winemaking history, the Tread brand was also created to celebrate the county’s diversity in terms of grape varieties, thanks to so many differing microclimates in the area, Bryden said.
Bryden first joined Zaca Mesa Winery as assistant winemaker in 2011. Five years later, she was promoted to head winemaker. Starting this October, the Central Coast local began her new dual position as both winemaker and general manager.
While taking on this new leadership role, Bryden said she’s excited about ventures that lie ahead and is looking forward to upholding the integrity of the winery she’s called home for the past 10 years.
For those who miss the release party, Tread tastings are offered regularly at Zaca Mesa’s new club lounge and terrace area. The new lounge offers guests an indoor option for wining and dining while the outdoor terrace provides scenic views of the estate’s surrounding vineyards and San Rafael mountains.
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is also made up of several microclimates. Send comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 14-21, 2021.