Foxen Winery and Vineyards, in the heart of wine country on California’s Central Coast, is one of the oldest wineries in the region. Dick Doré and Bill Wathen started making wine here in 1985. The winery is located in Foxen Canyon on the historic Rancho Tinaquaic north of Santa Barbara. . .
The Rancho was purchased from Mexico in 1837 by Dick’s great-great grandfather, William Benjamin Foxen. An English sea captain, Foxen used a unique anchor symbol to brand his cattle. Dick and Bill named their winery in honor of Dick’s great-great grandfather, and they adopted the Foxen anchor as their logo. Foxen Winery is known worldwide for the careful crafting of sustainable, small production wines which reveal a strong commitment to the local terroir.
The first Foxen tasting room opened in 1989 and was nicknamed the Shack: a rustic, open-air bar with a beautiful view of Foxen Canyon’s trees and vineyards. If you’ve seen the movie Sideways, you may recognize the Shack from one of the early scenes in that film. Guests can stand at the bar to taste, or grab a seat at one of the picnic tables outside. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to complement their wine-tasting if they choose.
In 2009, Bill and Dick opened their newest winemaking facility with a spacious, solar-powered and air-conditioned tasting room just up the hill from the Shack. This modern tasting room has two separate bars, windows facing onto the canyon, and a shaded patio. Guests can sample smooth and sophisticated pinots noir, chardonnay, and Rhone varietals at this newer facility, then venture down to the Shack to taste rich, full-bodied Bordeaux and Italian wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pajarito (Spanish for “Little Bird”), a blend of Merlot and Petit Verdot, and Volpino, a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese.
On the Friday I visited Foxen, both the main tasting room and the Shack were humming with customers who were sampling wines and cracking jokes with the staff, clearly relishing an early and relaxing start to the weekend. I began by tasting the Rosé of Mourvèdre, a much loved Foxen summer wine, and the Chenin Blanc, another warm weather favorite, before heading out to the patio to talk with Simone, the Foxen tasting room manager. Simone was one of the first people I met at Foxen when I began my wine-tasting adventures over three years ago. After discovering the natural, delicious taste of Foxen wines, I became a club member and frequent visitor. My first conversations with Simone took place at the Shack. She explained the difference between Bordeaux and Rhone wines in ways that made sense to my novitiate taste buds, and recommended books to read and classes to take to increase my knowledge. And she was equally welcoming to my energetic cocker spaniel, who always accompanies me on these wine-tasting forays.
So when I decided I wanted to learn more about life at Foxen behind the scenes, Simone was the first person who came to mind to interview. I knew she would be friendly and open to answering my questions, and I was not disappointed. We started by discussing her life before Foxen.
Can you tell me a little bit about your background? Where are you from originally?
I’m from Germany, from a small town in wine country, just outside Frankfurt in the state of Hessen. Growing up around wineries and vineyards, I loved tasting and learning about wine from a young age. I decided early on that I would like to work in the wine industry.
How did you begin to make that dream a reality?
As part of my studies, I did an apprenticeship in a hotel in Darmstadt where I learned about beer, wine, and cocktails. Afterwards, I studied hotel management in Heidelberg. Throughout my studies, I kept my dream of working at a winery alive.
When did you first move to the States? How long was it before you began realizing your dream?
My husband and I moved to Florida in 2005, so about twelve years ago. Four years later, in 2009, we moved to California. Once we decided to move, I made it a priority to find work at a winery. My first job after our relocation was at a winery in Santa Cruz, and I really, really enjoyed it. A few years later, in early 2014, we moved to the central California coast, and I started working part-time as a member of the tasting-room staff at Foxen.
That was just about the time I met you! I first came to Foxen in early 2014. How long did you work here before you became the tasting room manager?
I started working full-time after three months. After almost a year, I became assistant tasting room manager, and then I became tasting room manager when the former manager left.
So you moved up very quickly! With your experience, you could easily move on to work at another winery. What has kept you at Foxen?
Billy and Dick, the owners, are great. They treat the staff members like family. Billy’s wife, Becky, also works here: she is the controller for the winery. Dick’s wife, Jenny, handles marketing and sales with Dick. The tasting room team I work with is great as well. Most people have worked here for a long time because Billy and Dick are so supportive.
What are your responsibilities as tasting room manager?
I’m continually out in the tasting room with my team. I want to make sure that I’m always available to the team and to the customers, especially on the weekends. I’m always focused on getting to know the customers, welcoming them and giving them a positive experience. It’s very important to me that everyone receives the same customer service, even when the tasting room is very busy. My goal is to greet every guest, no matter how busy we are.
When I’m in the office, I’m answering email and keeping track of our supply of wine, ordering more, if necessary, so that there will be enough wine for tasting and selling. If we need additional staff, then I have the responsibility to find and hire new team members for the tasting room.
I also help to organize training sessions for my team. Once a month, we devote time to studying wine. We might focus on the wine from a particular country, or a particular varietal from different countries or from different wineries. In addition, Billy and Dick encourage us to take local wine courses. I have taken the first level of the Sommelier course, which is an intensive two-day class, with an exam on the second day. Those who pass the first and second levels of this course are certified as Sommeliers. We can also take classes through Allen Hancock, a college in Santa Maria just north of Foxen Canyon. These classes cover topics like wine production and wine and food pairings. All of this training helps us to better educate our customers about wine in general and Foxen wines in particular.
What are some of your favorite memories of working at Foxen?
Definitely the training sessions. In addition to our monthly training, once a year we close the winery and the whole team goes out to visit one of the vineyards that we source from so we can learn more about the different varietals used in our winemaking. Sometimes we visit another winery for a tasting. These are always great team bonding times. Also, the owners invite us, all of the staff and their families, to their homes a couple of times a year. In fact, we just had a barbeque together last weekend! Those evenings are always so fun.
I also have great memories of meeting customers from all over the world. We have people visit us from all over Europe, including Germany, and I always enjoy the opportunity to speak German. We also have guests from New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil, just to mention a few countries.
Some of your visitors are pets. My dog loves visiting here because everyone is always so friendly. Why does Foxen have a dog-friendly policy?
Foxen has always welcomed well-behaved dogs, ever since I’ve been here. Everyone who works here loves dogs (and cats!). We are always excited when dogs come to visit, and treats are always available. The owners and the winemaker all have dogs as well: Dick and Jenny’s dog is Tembo, a Rhodesian Ridgeback; Billy’s dog is Rosie, a Border Terrier; David the winemaker’s dog is Zeke, a Queensland Kelpie; and Holly, the shipping and social media manager, has a dog named Tucker, a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. So we often have dogs on the property.
What’s your favorite wine at Foxen?
There’s no Foxen wine that I don’t like! I really enjoy the Foxen 7200 line, the Bordeaux blends served at the Shack, especially Range 30 West [a 54% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Franc blend]. Julia’s Vineyard is my favorite Pinot Noir, and the Chenin Blanc is also very good.
Oh, that’s the wine I’m drinking right now. How would you describe the taste? To me, it tastes like honeysuckle.
Yes, that’s a good way to describe it. It tastes a bit like honeysuckle, clean, with a hint of sweetness, but nothing overpowering. It is a good wine to pair with oysters and other shellfish. It makes a good lunch wine.
So where do you see yourself working in five to ten years?
I would love to continue working at Foxen. I love the supportive, relaxed environment here.
Thank you very much for your time, Simone!
You’re very welcome.
I said goodbye to Simone and headed down to the Shack so that I could sample those delicious Bordeaux and Italian varietals while my cocker spaniel received some welcome attention from the other guests and dog treats from the staff.
The Foxen Winery tasting rooms are open daily from 11 am-4 pm. The winery is located at 7600 Foxen Canyon Road in Santa Maria, about an hour’s drive north of Santa Barbara on the central California coast. Consult the Foxen website, FoxenWinery.com, for more information.