Winemaker Brandon Armitage of Scotts Valley’s Roudon-Smith Winery plays favorites with his pinot noir.
“It’s a lot more intelligent than other wines,” said Armitage, who’s been plying his craft for 10 years.
Armitage said he appreciates the challenge of making good pinot.
“It’s a finicky grape,” he said. “It takes more skill to make. Too much or too little goes a long way. You can’t hide anything with it.”
These days, the small boutique winery is gearing up for the Scotts Valley Art and Wine Festival, where it will pour its award-winning pinot, a sauvignon blanc, a chardonnay claret and a cabernet sauvignon.
Roudon-Smith has been a staple at the festival, which will feature more than 100 artists and many area wineries, for the past decade.
The festival will host a variety of booths with paintings, photography, ceramics, jewelry, glass art, sculpture, etching, digital works and textile arts, and there will also be an eclectic food court and children’s activities throughout the day.
In addition to Roudon-Smith, featured wineries this year include Bargetto Winery, Heart O’ The Mountain, Bruzzone Family Vineyard, Naumann Vineyards, Poetic Cellars, Odonata Wines and Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard-Quinta Cruz.
Annette Hunt, co-owner of Roudon-Smith, confessed that her favorite wine is also the pinot noir, but she added that the winery’s sauvignon blanc is sure to be a hit at the festival.
“The sauvignon blanc is really refreshing with the warm weather,” Hunt said. “It has nice tropical fruits.”
The Roudon-Smith name originates with Bob Roudon and Jim Smith, two engineers-turned-winery owners who made a name for the company in 1972. The Hunt and Drewke families took over the legacy when the winery’s namesakes retired in 2003.
Hunt said they make about 4,000 cases of vino a year, at 25 bottles per case. Harvest time is from mid-September through the end of October, but Roudon-Smith sells its products throughout the year.
Hunt said she always looks forward to the festival, because it’s a fundraiser for local groups. In that spirit, Roudon-Smith will offer bottles at a lower cost than in its tasting room, Hunt said.
“It’s always a really great event,” she said. “It really benefits the community.”
At a glance
WHAT: Scotts Valley Art and Wine Festival
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 14 and 15
WHERE: Skypark, 361 King’s Village Road, in Scotts Valley
COST: Free admission
INFO: www.scottsvalleychamber.com
