Hocus Pocus! 1 Brand Becomes 3
In Los Angeles, where the illusion of magic is largely the result of smoke and mirrors, Amy Christine and Peter Hunken have poured their considerable talents into two genuinely magical endeavors: their wine and their relationship. It was a passion for wine that brought them together and a passion for wine that drives them to continually produce great wines from Black Sheep Finds under the Hocus Pocus, Genuine Risk, and Dalla Pancia labels. Peter Hunken is a winemaker whose previous partnerships have produced the Piedrasassi and Holus Bolus wines. A former full-time Sommelier at A.O.C., Amy Christine is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in wine. Amy and Peter recently sat down with us to discuss how they came together, how they make their wines, and how they retain a connection to Los Angeles while producing wines in Santa Barbara County.
How did you two meet?
Peter Hunken: We met at the end of 2004 when I was working for Stolpman Vineyards in Santa Barbara, where I worked as assistant wine maker for about 6 years. Amy came up with her friend Tom Hunter, who sold Stolpman here in Los Angeles as a wine broker. Amy and Tom worked together at A.O.C. in Los Angeles where they were both sommeliers.
Amy Christine: After we met at Stolpman, I sent what may have been an inappropriate thank you note to Peter. I guess it worked because Peter drove down in torrential rains to visit me at A.O.C. that night. We started dating soon after that.
What’s the story behind the Black Sheep Finds name?
AC: We are both the black sheep of our families and we would get fantastic offers to buy grapes.
What were some of the unforeseen challenges you encountered while starting your winery?
AC: We say that we torture ourselves by working with the least popular varietals. Merlot and Syrah are at the bottom of the barrel right now in terms of what people are drinking. I think it was a challenge for us to start out with the Hocus Pocus Syrah. Also, having a long distance relationship and then having a business on top of that was really hard in the beginning but we sold through our fist vintage. Now we don’t even have to show Hocus Pocus anywhere, people just buy it on reputation and we actually get worried about running out of it too early, which is good.
PH: I think that because we started with one wine, now we have three to five wines depending on the vintage, it was hard because we weren’t coming out with a portfolio. We weren’t coming out saying these are the four wines we make every year, because we don’t know quite what we are producing every year.
AC: This year we did some Pinot Noir from Sonoma. It happened to come about because we got a phone call from someone who says we have these grapes. The next day Peter went up to look at the vineyard and before you know it, we were making Pinot again.
PH: It is a very different way of doing things. On the one hand it’s nice because we can be very flexible, but on the other hand we don’t have vineyards and we are constantly building up a consistent source of grapes. Another challenge is trying to grow your company at the same time that the world economy is shrinking. The wine business is not immune to that in the least bit.
Tell us about your Genuine Risk label.
PH: Genuine Risk is named after the 1980 Kentucky Derby winner she was one of the only phillies to win the Kentucky Derby. She was raised up in the Santa Ynez Valley and there is a road called Genuine Risk which borders the vineyard where a lot of our fruit came from in ’05. The other reason for the name is that Cabernet is not really at home in Santa Barbara County – it has a spotty and risky history in Santa Barbara. But now people are planting in the right spots and the appropriate density of vines so they are doing all of the right things, and I think you can make really interesting wines with it. I think it all goes with the theme we have for our labels which is playful and not super-serious.
PH: What it comes down to is us out there selling it. Most people can’t do that – they live where they are making wine. We are sort of able to straddle both worlds and that allows us to be a part of the greater L.A. food and restaurant community.
What makes your wine unique?
How much time do you spend in Santa Barbara and how would you describe the wine scene up there?
PH: I spend two months from mid-September to mid-November in Santa Barbara for the harvest. Beyond that, I just going up to top barrels and check on a few things. The wine scene in Santa Barbara is a growing industry and it’s a fantastic area. It really still has untapped potential and it’s wonderful because it’s so close.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your work?
PH: It’s actually really nice to have a project we can do together.
AC: We actually love working together – we love each other and we love being together.
PH: It’s also really great when you meet people and they tell you they enjoy your wine. The customer response is really great.
Where do you see yourself taking this business?
AC: I love my day job but it would be nice to have a little more flexibility in my schedule and spend more time up there [Santa Barbara]. We would need to get a little bigger for that but we would also like to stay small. In the future it would be great to have our own vineyards.
PH: For now we just keep building the momentum we have and keep building the good will and the names up.
For more information on Peter Hunken, Amy Christine, and Black Sheep Finds Wines, please visit www.blacksheepfinds.com.
To locate a bottle of Hocus Pocus, Dalla Pancia, or Genuine Risk, visit your local wine shop or if you’re in Los Angeles, please contact Susan Brink at Venokado Wine & Gift shop in West Hollywood.
