Dashe Cellars: Making Zinfandel in Oakland

The wine business is a fickle mistress. Winery owners and winemakers chase elusive scores, the public makes buying decisions based on movies, hype and price, and critics seem to applaud fruit laden, high octane wines. So where does that leave Dashe Cellars in Oakland, CA? Right where they want to be.

“My goal is to create structured and layered wines that play on the world stage,” Mike Dashe told me over lunch. In 1996 Mike and his wife Anne founded Dashe Cellars, though in retrospect, they might have waited a little longer. “I really stumbled into it without thinking about it too much, which is probably a good thing. Because if I had given any thought to building a winery, I might not have done it,” he said.

His reminiscing was not about being qualified or even trained. After all, Mike was assistant winemaker for Ridge Vineyards in Santa Cruz for eight years. Prior to that he worked stints at Far Niente, and Cloudy Bay in New Zealand. So the issue is not one of competence, but of ignorant bliss, luck and raw talent.

When mike was 16 years old he announced to his parents that he wanted to make beer. “I didn’t drink beer, but it sounded fascinating,” he recalled. “My parents thought it was a science project, they were both physicians and like the science angle.” He’d seen a pamphlet from a well known beer writer at the time, Michael Jackson. An old refrigerator in the garage was converted and the experimentation began. Though he couldn’t drink at the time, his dad enjoyed Mike’s creations. But that was high school and Mike was looking into a medical career. “I was pre-med until I spent a few years as a surgical orderly. I actually loved surgery, but I hated the doctors, they all seemed miserable.” Mike was also studying botany as an undergraduate and even worked for the forest service during several summers. Ultimately, it was his dad who suggested Mike attend U.C. Davis. “He was much more excited that I went into winemaking over medical school,” Mike recalled.