Feb 26, 2020
On this episode of the Life in the Carolinas podcast, Carl sits down with Louis Jeroslow who, along with his wife Carrie and partners Nick and Jennifer White, own Elkin Creek Vineyard.
Louis relates the backstory around his journey from entertainment
industry professional to winemaker, as well as his partnership with
the Whites. He met Nick and Jennifer while working together with
them on productions for Blue Man Group. At one point, Nick White
had been keeping his eye open for good properties to invest in.
Around that time, Jennifer White saw a photo online of the
confluence of two creeks on their property: Elkin Creek and Grassy
Creek.
The Whites were smitten, and subsequently had their wedding at that
spot. Louis, making full use of his expertise in technical theatre,
had a grand, multimedia-laden setup put together for the wedding.
It didn’t take long for the four of them to realize that there was
a new opportunity for them all in that very location.
Louis continues by talking about the steep learning curve he had to
overcome in order to become the master winemaker at Elkin Creek.
Learning the necessary skills was one thing; knowing how to run a
business he had almost no prior experience in was another. What he
was prepared for, however, was the work involved in putting
together events—work that he had already been engaged in for a
couple of decades at that point. Over time, the four partners were
able to delegate tasks and smooth out daily operations as the
Vineyard saw success.
Louis talks about how his influence has led to his becoming a
mentor of sorts to other aspiring winemakers. He has also spoken to
the media on North Carolina wine—specifically in the Yadkin Valley,
which became a federally-approved American Viticultural Area in
2003. Carl draws a parallel here to Lewis’s background in technical
theatre, saying that while Louis had complete control over his
stage, in viticulture he has to deal with whatever nature has
already established.
Asked what he thinks of people who say, “wine is wine”,
Louis says that “wine is like art. Two people standing next to
each other, staring at a painting on the wall: one may be deeply
moved [...] and the person standing directly beside them would be
like, ‘Meh. It’s okay.’ It’s very subjective.”
Connect:
https://www.elkincreekvineyard.com/
www.lifeinthecarolinas.com
www.lifeinthecarolinaspodcast.com
carl@lifeinthecarolinas.com