Going Organic with Spirits & Wine – We talk with Allison Evanow of Square One Organic Spirits & Kevin Morrisey of Ehlers Estate Vineyard – Thursday July 29th

Consumers are embracing sustainably produced products at an accelerating rate – twenty years ago, organically grown wine & spirits were a counterculture curiosity: few people made it, and those who drank it were as courageous as they were committed. Today, organically grown wines & spirits win awards in global competitions, high ratings from industry periodicals, and constitute a fast-growing segment of the beverage business. Two companies at the forefront of the field are Square One Organic Spirits & Ehlers Estate. Square One® is the first and only super-premium organic vodka to be made from 100% certified organic American rye, created with a proprietary organic fermentation technique. As part of a vineyard-focused, socially responsible approach to winemaking, the Ehlers Estate vineyard is farmed exclusively using earth-friendly organic farming methods which help preserve the purity & character of the estate’s fruit, leading to stellar wines with an authentic sense of place.

Guest Bios:

Allison Evanow

When Allison Evanow talks to bar chefs about Square One® vodka, it’s not as sales rep to drink professional, it’s as bartender to bartender. While getting her MBA at The Thunderbird School of Global Management, she worked at the business side of the bar, and knows the luxury beverage business from the ground up. When marketing super-premium tequilas in North America for brand leader José Cuervo during the 1990s, she led trade tours that began in the agave fields and ended in the distillery. As VP of Marketing at Napa Valley’s Domaine Chandon, she regularly checked flavor nuances of the grapes with vineyard managers and tasted countless wines in barrel and bottle with the winemakers. Today as founder and CEO of Square One® Organic Spirits, she’s determined to show how the luxury beverage category can bring a social conscience to having fun socially.

Kevin Morrisey

With a Master of Science degree in Enology from UC Davis, Kevin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Ehlers. He joined Stags’ Leap Winery in 1998 where he quickly rose through the ranks to become Associate Winemaker. In 2003 he was scouted to serve as Winemaker and Director of Operations at Etude Wines. Then in 2005, Kevin was asked back to Stag’s Leap to take over as Winemaker and General Manager where he played an instrumental role in further building the reputation of that historic property. In 2009, he came to Ehlers Estate which produces some of Napa Valley’s most esteemed wines and is one of a handful of wineries in Napa Valley committed to certified organic and biodynamic farming, matching both a spiritual and ethical ideal to which Kevin has long striven to achieve in his work. Kevin cherishes his family life and manages to work a little wine into every table setting. He, his wife and two daughters have been in the Napa Valley since 2002.