Geek Chic: Meet Sexy Vintner Austin Peterson
Author:Lindsey ShookConsidering that Austin Peterson made his first wine with his father at age 15, his career as a gifted winemaker comes as no surprise. Although he grew up in a winemaking family, it wasn’t until his first year of college that Peterson considered taking up the profession himself.
The then mechanical engineering student at UC Davis found himself itching to be outdoors as he watched his classmates “become paler and more antisocial” and retreat into their studies. He found a new way to exercise his scientific leanings that year when he signed up for a course in winemaking.
“What I love about winemaking is that there’s a science to it, but it’s science in the service of art,” says Peterson.
After enrolling in the first course Peterson never looked back, graduating with a degree in Enology and making his own wine throughout college to help pay for his education.
Now 29, Peterson gets to exercise his artistry as the principal winemaker at Ovid Winery. From the vineyards to the Nicole Hollis–designed wine lab (pictured), Peterson and his colleagues at Ovid work hard at perfecting each part of the process, and it pays off.
“The most rewarding thing is tasting the new wine in January and experiencing all the nuances of the vineyard coming together,” says Peterson.
