steve and dave sample the juice

I went to school in Vermont, where many hours were accompanied by Dave Matthews songs. About just as many hours (ok, probably more) have been spent drinking wine. Luckily, Dave agrees that those two things pair really well together. He has not one but two wineries – Dreaming Tree in California and Blenheim Vineyards in Virginia.

Steve Reeder, the winemaker for Dreaming Tree, was awesome enough to tell grapefriend a little about their wines and all of the amazing sustainable things they do. Listen to a little DMB while you read about more Green Week grapefriends!

Dreaming Tree is a DMB song – how’d you decide that would be the name for the wine?

“The Dreaming Tree” lyrics really spoke when we were developing a name for the wine. Knowing that both great songs and wines are synonymous with great stories, we wanted to choose a brand name that spoke to storytelling. The Dreaming Tree song lyrics evoke personal meaning to every individual listener, taking them back to a specific time, place and moment in their lives. The goal was to create a similar experience when we crafted this wine in that it was approachable and accessible to everyone, uniquely spoke to each consumer yet made them feel good about sharing it. There’s nothing better than gathering around a table with a few friends, opening a bottle of wine, sharing old memories and making new ones.

Grapefriend agrees! Greening-out your wine can be an all-in proposition or just a few things to help our planet out. What kind of stuff do you do at the winery? 

Environmental conservation is important to both of us and being mindful of our footprint while crafting these wines is just the right thing to do. From vine to table, we wanted to be as conscious in our decision-making as possible, so we chose to source fruit from sustainably grown vineyards in California, print our labels on 100% recycled kraft brown paper, utilize bottles that are a quarter pound lighter than normal and use natural corks that are also sustainably grown. We’ll continue to look for new ways to preserve the land around us for years to come.

I also manage the winemaking at Simi Winery in Sonoma County which has been producing wines for 136 consecutive vintages – that’s sustainability! Years of experience in the vineyard and cellar gave me a comfort level to expand sustainable practices into this wine collaboration. Practicing sustainable farming not only improves our health and ecological system, but will also yield high quality fruit in the vineyard, healthier vines and increased vineyard longevity. 

What DMB songs do you think pair best with each Dreaming Tree wine?

Cabernet Sauvignon: “Satellite” – The wine and song are both very straightforward yet still poignant, elegant and classic.

Chardonnay: “You and Me” – The Chardonnay is very easy to enjoy. The flavors of roasted pear, baked apple pie and brown spices are backed by a distinct Central Coast citrus note – it’s appealing to so many, just like the song is.

Crush: “Warehouse” – This song blends together so many different sounds and instrumental transitions that come together to create a remarkable musical work. Similarly, Crush blends together the finest varietals that we hand-selected from our North Coast vineyards to produce a wine in which the sum is greater than its individual parts.

Dreaming of drinking some now? You can buy them right here.