When the Stars—or Moons—Align
Shawna Miller was at a crossroads after ten years as the winemaker at Luna Vineyards. During that time, Decanter Magazine highlighted her as the US representative in “Women in Wine: Award-Winning Wines by Influential Females.” Then, earlier this year, the winery unexpectedly sold.
Photos By: Sakhon Nhek
“I didn’t mean to start my own brand, but the winery was sold, and fortunately, I was able to take the best barrels with me as I left. It brought me so much joy to put my heart and soul into making these wines, so I wanted to keep them thriving into the future.” Shawna said.
The award-winning winemaker shared, “It allowed me to start Earthshine Wines. I thought it would be a shame to get rid of all the wine, especially to lose the Sangiovese, given the valley’s history with Italian heritage.”
She plans to use the Sangiovese in Earthshine’s first wine—a Sangiovese blend—and she will eventually release a mountain Bordeaux and other small-lot items under the label. She will keep production on a boutique scale. “I have no desire to focus on growing an empire,” she laughed.
Instead, she will continue with what she does best: winemaking. The only difference is that she is an owner now. “Because Luna was small, I took on several roles by default, which has given me a lot of experience in running a business. Of course, there is a lot to learn, but I feel I have had a nice crash course, and the future is exciting.”
Luna Vineyards was the first moon in Shawna’s orbit, but there is another on the horizon. She has also been the winemaker for Luna’s founder, Mike Moone’s private single-vineyard label ‘One Thousand Vines’ since the first harvest in 2012. Mike and Shawna work together so well that she acquired the brand from him earlier this year. Mike will remain part of the project through the transition and beyond. “Mike’s love of wine and youthful enthusiasm is infectious, and I’m so happy to continue this project with him,” Shawna said. So, when Shawna conjured a brand name, she knew it should be something moon related. She landed on Earthshine: the shadow glow of the new moon behind the waning crescent of the old moon.
Leonardo da Vinci first coined the term “Earthshine,” describing it as, “When the new moon takes the old moon in her arms.” “I see it as the new moon telling the old moon goodbye,” Shawna said, “Earthshine is doing that; we are honoring our past with Luna Vineyards and moving forward.”
Earthshine Wines recently joined Mia Carta, the downtown Napa wine collective and tasting room specializing in highlighting local micro-producing vintners. For now, Shawna will run the businesses without a physical winery, and all sales will be direct-to-consumer. There will be two ways to acquire Earthshine Wine—at Mia Carta and, eventually, through the Earthshine Wines Membership Club.
Remarkably, even though they haven’t officially established a wine club, they already have their first member. “Luna’s former owners told me to let them know when we have a wine club. They would like to be the first to join.”
Story By: Layne Randolph
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.earthshinewines.com
