50 Years of Bubbles at Iron Horse Vineyards with Joy Sterling, Ep. 125

Raise a glass of California sparkling wine!Fifty years ago, when America was celebrating its Bicentennial, and the famous Judgement of Paris put California wine on the world map, Barry and Audrey Sterling founded Iron Horse Vineyards. At the time, the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley AVA was unknown. But the Sterlings saw potential there, and created a sparkling wine house that would go on to earn worldwide acclaim.CEO and second generation vintner Joy Sterling is back for an encore appearance on the pod. She shares how a winery stays relevant for half a century and what it means to keep the Iron Horse spirit galloping into the future.As Joy says, Iron Horse’s 50th anniversary is a toast for the history books. It also coincides with the Chinese lunar year of the horse, Joy’s mother’s Audrey Sterling’s 95th birthday, winemaker David Munksgard’s 30th vintage and America’s 250th anniversary. Iron Horse has played a role in that, with its sparkling being served in seven presidential administrations at America’s table. While looking back is a fitting tribute, Joy says it’s important to look and move forward to the next 50 years.