Grape cloning might sound like something from a sci-fi movie or, at the very least, a GMO experiment you don’t want to touch with the tendril of a ten-foot grapevine…but you probably poured its contents from your wine bottle the other night. 

Grape cloning is in fact an essential and completely natural tool that winemakers around the world use for selecting the best-suited grapes for the climate, soil, and vineyard location and, ultimately, to make the best wine possible. One winemaker who does this to a highly precise level for dazzling results is Molly Hill of Sequoia Grove Winery.

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Early in 2020, before “socially distant” had entered our vocabulary and pandemics were the stuff of either Medieval or post-apocalyptic novels, I was lucky enough to travel to California and visit Sequoia Grove. I was impressed with Molly’s exacting approach to test out clones on different parcels of land, vinifying them separately and determining which the best were for each. It’s a long-term project to say the least, and her dedication was admirable. Plus, the wines are extraordinary.

One positive thing that has come of 2020 is that I’ve begun branching outside of my beloved Italian wines to try other countries, other varieties, and…guess what? The possibilities to find delicious wines are endless! We are living in the Golden Age of wine, where winemakers the world over have access, knowledge, and technology to craft high quality wines with consistence; consumers are curious and drive demand; and imports from every country you’d want are available at the wine shop down the street. Get out there and pick up a bottle.

So, while we are all still stuck at home for the foreseeable future, I’ll use that as an excuse to travel with my glass. All this to say, check out my latest article about grape clones and Sequoia Grove Winery on Wine365.com: Custom-Fit Cabernet Clones at Sequoia Grove.