Makers' Stories
Malek Amrani
— Vices are our escape from the everyday.
If you could open a bottle of your wine and share it with any three people (living or not), who would they be?
Kobe Bryant, Albert Einstein, Arnold Schwarzenegger
If you weren't a Napa Valley vintner, what would you be doing?
Professional athlete or Cannabis grower.
What’s the strangest word you’ve used to describe the smell or taste of wine?
I once tasted a wine with so many conflicting flavors all happening at once, I described it as a tipsy mariachi band at a bat-mitzvah.
What's your all-time favorite food and wine pairing?
Margherita Pizza and Carneros Pinot Noir
Tell us about your first Napa Valley harvest…
Exciting, exhausting, humbling and promising.
Name a Napa Valley vintner who has influenced you and briefly explain why.
Peter Newton. A pioneer of Napa Valley Merlot.
How did you get started in the wine business?
At 18, I decided to drop out of medical studies and follow a wine career in New York.
What's one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I’m a USA Triathlon Team USA athlete that’s competing in the 2021 World Championships.
What does "cultivating excellence" as a Napa Valley vintner mean to you?
“Cultivating excellence” is a key value at The Vice. Our team strives to achieve excellence in every aspect of the business on a daily basis.
What is your favorite memory as a vintner working in Napa Valley?
The first sip of Batch #1 after blending.
What is your winemaking philosophy?
Minimal interference in the vineyards and in the cellar. With Napa, less is always more.
Est. 2016
The Vice
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The Makers