When sitting down with Al Perry to chat about wine its easy to forget “who you’re talking to.” Al fell in love with wine while working at a wine shop in Southern California as a young man. After 30 years of winemaking in the Napa Valley & internationally, Al has built on that initial love of wine and now possesses priceless knowledge and unparalleled perspective, which he will often underemphasize to focus your attention back on the wine itself. During his nearly two decades as co-owner and winemaker at Napa’s Biale Winery, which he co-founded, Al was credited with maintaining Zinfandel’s presence in the Napa Valley. Although known for his influence on Zinfandel, Al has a deep appreciation for all varietals and considers the Joseph Cellars line-up to be among his favorites. Al’s travels to France, Australia, Portugal and other wine growing regions in Europe gave him the opportunity to collaborate other winemakers, providing him with unique insight into many winemaking styles. These trips also developed a great appreciation for the diversity of grapes found in various soils and climates. Mirroring his easygoing demeanor, Al’s approach to winemaking is to allow the grapes to express their unique fruit character.
