I came across Turiya Wines at the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s 27th Annual “Vintage Bouquet” Food and Wine Tasting Event and I loved the story behind the company. I think we go into life with a plan (or maybe some don’t) and the funny thing is you can’t plan your life as much as you try. As my mom (who quotes John Lennon) says, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” It’s what we make of our plans when they get derailed that makes us who we are and makes life worth living. It’s about the journey and adventure and that’s what I felt when I spoke to Angela Soleno about her wines.
Angela discovered her love for wine because of a heartbreak. Angela jokes, “He literally drove me to drink.” The drink was a glass of Chianti paired with Fettucini Alfredo, a marriage that was made for one another. The pairing changed her life and helped mend her broken heart. By finding this new love, she forgot her lost one.
Wine had always been held in high esteem for Angela and she was raised to know that wine was expensive and collectable. It was with this thinking and her new love, that she set out create a wine that would be cherished. Something people converse about – not just drink. Wine is an experience and each sip, it varies and brings a new life. It’s this idea that can teach us how valuable each moment of life is.
Angela traveled back to Santa Barbara County (where she had her life changing pairing) to set out on her new job to nourish her new passion. In July 2006, she eagerly accepted a job as project manager for the highly acclaimed wine producer, Consilience Wines in Los Olivos, where her experience and passion for wine encompassed her and lead her to create the ultimate wine. By October of 2008 Angela had scored her first fruit bill and first harvest.
Angela began making Turiya Wines at Central Coast Wine Services alongside several other well known Santa Barbara County winemakers. It was a knowledge resource bank she needed and she began asking questions. She knew what she wanted her wine to be and she wanted to soak up as much information as she could from a variety of winemakers as well as gain scientific knowledge. Angela quickly enrolled in the Viticulture and Enology program at Allan Hancock College and began formulating her plan for the first vintage. Aiming for an elegant, food-friendly style of wine, Angela decided to select the best fruit available in Santa Barbara County and let the fruit have most of the spot light in the outcome. She now produces Red Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese.
As a single mother, student, and full time employee Angela, a few close friends and family members got through the first harvest with a new-found appreciation for winemakers. The time, thought, energy, and care that it takes to create wine proved to be challenging, but also one of the most exciting and rewarding adventures she had ever undertaken. It’s amazing that Angela’s heartbreak turned into her discovering her passion. She took a low point of her life and turned it into something that changed her life for the better. Imagine what the world would be like if we all did that…oh, and drank more wine.
