Inspiring Conversations with Alice Anderson of âmevive

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Anderson.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
After graduating Cal Poly with a BS in Wine and Viticulture and a few California harvests under my belt, I headed to Central Otago, New Zealand for 7 months. I worked at Amisfield in the cellar and at Rippon Vineyard in the biodynamic vineyards with the Mills family. This is where I truly began to understand the relationship between a steward and his or her land.

In August of 2015, I headed to the Northern Rhone, France where I worked as an intern at Chez Pierre Gaillard. Post-harvest I was hired full-time as the Caviste and stayed there until June of 2017. France is where I fell in love with wine and its culture. Those two years were the foundation for âmevive. France is where I discovered a desire to farm the land I make into wine.

In between my French visas I met my partner, Christopher De Felice. He gave me a great reason to move back to the states! After morning back to California and working a stint for Tyler Winery,  I began to conceptualize my dream of starting my own project based on Northern Rhone wines made with a Californian playfulness. Throughout the years of 2018-2022 I held a couple of consulting winemaking positions, was the Assistant Winemaker for Tatomer for more than 3 years, and alas, started my own project, âmevive.

My partner, Christopher De Felice and I also lease and farm the historic Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos District AVA. The vineyard was planted in 1971, is all own-rooted, and has been farmed organically since the ’90s. Ibarra-Young Vineyard is one of the first vineyards planted in the Santa Ynez Valley. We are employing Regenerative Organic and Biodynamic practices in order to revitalize the native ecosystem that once flourished on this land. This vineyard is the heart of âmevive.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Growing pains are real. It sometimes feels hard to balance growth within the company, juggle the other jobs I have in order to supplement my personal income, and maintain enough Alice time to keep my mental health happy and healthy. With âmevive in its 4th year, I’m hopeful that some of these growing pains subside.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about âmevive?
We are a holistic and organic winery and vineyard in Santa Barbara County. We farm a historic vineyard in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. Our wines are pure, full of energy, and made with a whole lot of intention.

We farm with our hands and our hearts using homeopathic sprays, animal integration, our farm-made compost, all with the environment in mind.

In the cellar, we make wines pure to their varietals without any additions. Our wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered and enclosed in eco-friendly packaging.

Although we don’t offer an official tasting experience yet, we hope that you’ll visit our site, join our wine club, or look for our wines in your local restaurants and retail shops.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
A desire to stay inquisitive and continue to ask questions; a passion for intentional and truly sustainable farming, and a lot of grit!

Pricing:

• Wines range from $30-$40

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amevivewine.com
• Instagram: @amevive.wine

Image Credits
All photos are taken by Summer Staeb insta: @summerstaeb https://www.summerstaeb.com