Local Hero: Beverage Artisan, Wine
An Interview with Michele Padberg, Co-Owner
Photos by Douglas Merriam
Jesse, Michele, Chris, and Liliana Padberg at Vivác Winery tasting room in Dixon.
Vineyards near six thousand feet, four owners in one family, a deep commitment to community, and living in the oldest wine-grape-growing region in the United States—that’s Vivác Winery. Pronounced vee-vok and meaning a high-altitude refuge, Vivác began with the intention of making dry European-style wines in New Mexico. The winemakers are brothers Jesse and Chris Padberg, who grew up on an apple farm in northern New Mexico. Their wives, Michele and Liliana Padberg, share the business management for the family’s work, from the tasting room and distribution to marketing and wine clubs. All four Padbergs are certified sommeliers whose love for travel expands their professional and personal passions.
You opened your tasting room in Dixon twenty years ago. How have your wines evolved over that time? What about your own tastes, and those of New Mexico wine drinkers?
When we started the winery twenty-five years ago, there was a steep learning curve. Jesse and Chris realized quickly that they needed formal education from the University of California, Davis [known for its viticulture and winemaking certification programs]. Luckily, by the time we opened the tasting room in 2003, we had four solid wines to present. Over the years, our winemakers have continued to study advanced wine chemistry, yeast strains, and deep dives into elements of fermentation in order to craft better wines with each vintage. We had a lot of naysayers early on, the belief being that the New Mexico wine drinker wouldn’t like dry European-style wines, but what we found was the opposite! We have been incredibly fortunate to have the love and support of New Mexicans. Their sharing of our wines with friends and family across the country has been a big part of the incredible success of our wine clubs.
Vivác is a family affair. Is there a magic formula for balancing your various roles without creating discord?
We recognize that we have a rare gold mine with our dynamic foursome. Jesse and Chris work side by side every day taking care of the winemaking and viticulture. Amazingly, when they get home, they still get on the phone to chat with each other! Liliana and I both joined the team in 2001, Lili having moved to New Mexico from her home in central Mexico, and myself foregoing a move to New York City to stay here. The four of us put everything we had into starting the winery. That meant working other jobs to fund it, living in the small back rooms of the house Jesse and Chris grew up in, and living on food stamps well after having our first children. Somehow, looking back over those really tough first years, we reminisce about how much fun we had. The four of us have a similar aesthetic, we recognize the same issues, and have the same goals. It is truly magic that all these years later, we are all still in perfect step.
Who’s your favorite local/national/international authority on wine? Any recommendations for readers intimidated by winespeak?
LOL, well, us!
My passion is to teach people how to appreciate wine on a real-life level, to specifically take the snob out and make it relatable. Jesse and I are both advanced sommeliers working toward mastery, yet I teach classes at the American Wine Society national conferences with topics like “Yes Way, Rosé,” where I introduce people to new rosés while explaining the history of and reasons for its popularity. Another class is “Chocolate & Wine, Need We Say More?,” where I create pairings to open people to the possibilities while also explaining the chemical process happening in your brain when you combine these two substances. I also host wine events around the world.
We need to give credit to Claude Robbins of the International Wine & Spirits Guild in Colorado. He is, simply put, a legend. In the greater wine world, Andrea Immer Robinson is a master of wine who makes wine fun and was a huge influence on how we wanted to teach people to love wine.
Why wine kegs?
We are dedicated to doing our part for the environment. We organically farm our estate vineyards, and we partner with Eden Reforestation Projects to plant a tree every time someone buys a bottle, creating a carbon-neutral footprint for our winery. We utilize kegs to cut down on waste. Wine never goes bad in a keg. With bottles, slow sales always lead to waste, and it also means a high cost to the customer. Wine kegs allow you to have our international award-winning wines, made entirely from New Mexico grapes, at incredibly affordable prices. And we offer refillable growlers at our tasting room.
Describe one of the most memorable meals you have had while traveling internationally.
We LOVE to travel! In fact, part of the mission statement when starting the winery was to have our two families capable of doing all the jobs so that one family could travel while the other held down the fort. Travel is not only important to our theories on raising our children but a huge part of our education for the winery. Spending time with winemakers around the world is invaluable.
Chris has talked about the incredible flavors he fell in love with in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Lili loves all kinds of international dishes, but can’t help missing the phenomenal meals her mom makes back at home in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Jesse and I have a special place in our hearts for Italy, from the pappardelle with cinghiale at our wedding in Tuscany to the oryx dipped in fontina fondue in Aosta.
What is a local food issue that is important to you? Why?
Keeping the land agricultural is very important to us. Keeping water rights local and teaching our future generations to nurture the land and be sustainable is a goal of ours. We love working with local chefs to create amazing experiences that fulfill your hunger for nourishment on many levels. There is nothing like the exhilarating moment a wine and morsel combine to blow your mind, and knowing it was all sourced locally makes it even better.
2075 State Hwy 68, Dixon, 505-579-4441, vivacwinery.com
