Makers' Stories
Malek Amrani
— Vices are our escape from the everyday.
If you weren't a Napa Valley vintner, what would you be doing?
Professional athlete or Cannabis grower.
Tell us about your first Napa Valley harvest…
Exciting, exhausting, humbling and promising.
What's your all-time favorite food and wine pairing?
Margherita Pizza and Carneros Pinot Noir
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 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'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 is your winemaking philosophy?
Minimal interference in the vineyards and in the cellar. With Napa, less is always more.
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
What is your favorite memory as a vintner working in Napa Valley?
The first sip of Batch #1 after blending.
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.
Est. 2016
The Vice
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The Makers