Full Transcript
Doug Shafer:
Doug Shafer: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of The Taste. This is Doug Shafer in the beautiful Napa Valley. And we've got, uh, a special guest today, Mr. Oscar Renteria. He's CEO, owner of the family-owned Renteria Vineyard Management Company. One of the largest vineyard management companies in Napa Valley. Uh, welcome, Oscar. How are you?
Oscar Renteria:
Oh, God, Doug. Thank you so much for having me. I'm doing great. Um, thank you for having me on today. It's a, it's a privilege and an honor.
Doug Shafer:
Oh, man. I, thanks for taking the time. I got to tell you. Um, I was thinking about you the other night ... I was trying to think about when the first time we met. (laughs) And I think it was at, I think it was at a, a school open house for both our daughters who are going to the same school. And I, you know, I ran in-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... Randy would start talking. I'd, I'd heard about you. You were a fair, you're, you know, you, you have a reputation out there.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
And I heard about this crazy guy, Oscar Renteria. And so, all of a sudden, you know, w- we're meeting each other. And it's like, you know, yeah. I know him. Yeah. I work with him. It's like, we have all these people in common. But you and I have never, our paths have never crossed. I thought that was kind of wild-
Oscar Renteria:
Right.
Doug Shafer:
... After all these years.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. I know. Yeah. That's right.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
Well, I had met your, you know what, before I met you, I've met your father. We go back to the day when, uh, you know, he was serving in Clinic Ole. He was, he was asking for money and-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... Come around uh, uh, uh, all these guys at the table and these ladies, uh, of, you know, of age and respect. And then there was this, uh, single, uh, you know, Mexican-American young guy over here. And quite an honor. I mean, your dad, your, your father taught me about giving and the importance of the community. That was, that was, I was young. I think you were probably in diapers.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
I don't remember. That was, that's 20, (laughs) it's like 18, 20 years ago.
Doug Shafer:
Wow.
Oscar Renteria:
Crazy.
Doug Shafer:
I never knew.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. So.
Doug Shafer:
I never knew that you knew him early. That's great.
Oscar Renteria:
Oh.
Doug Shafer:
That's cool.
Oscar Renteria:
Absolutely. He ha- he hunted me down. I said, "You know, I, my $5 is more like your 5,000." But I'm, I'm, I'm going to give. But he got me inclu- he got me involved. He got me engaged. He educated me. And it was, i- it was a start of my awareness of being, you know, to being involved in the community. And it started with your father.
Doug Shafer:
Huh.
Oscar Renteria:
First and foremost. Yeah. It was a big ki- it was a big kick in the butt for sure, which is great.
Doug Shafer:
Super. Thanks for sharing that.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
It's great to hear.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. Absolutely.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. Yeah. So listen. I want to get into your story but, but I want, you're, you're fa- lis- you're, not just you. It's your family story. So the whole deal. So, we got to go way back to set the stage for everybody to know to- what's going on. But before we get to that, I haven't had any f- anybody on here that, that's works in vineyard management. How, you know, you own and run this amazingly successful vineyard management company. How, uh, how do you explain that to someone? On, you, you know, I mean-
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
... So, what do you, what do you guys do?
Oscar Renteria:
Oh, boy. Um.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
You know, that's a, that's, that's a good one. We do, uh, we do a lot of things that people don't see. But hopefully, what we, we end up doing is, uh, being able to deliver, you know, the best fruit possible for folks. And working the land and we were, we're, we're protecting assets and we're nurturing. We're hoping we're bringing happiness to winemakers and their, endeavors. Um, uh, but we're, uh, as my dad says is you know, we're babysitting, you know, people's children. And he relates ki- he relates children to the stages of growth of vines. And how to treat them and how they wake up and their stages of growth. Uh, you know, and, uh, I just, uh, I've been born, I was born to it. And just love to do it but you know, we tend to do a lot of things people don't see. We've got a, you know, we're fighting pests and disease. We're managing cover crops. We're looking at how we can improve and you know, we live in a valley in an area where it's very competitive but it's great for those that want to be the best. And this, (laughs) nothing here, nothing more than the valley drives you to want to be the best.
Oscar Renteria:
The endeavor, it's, it's a lot. You know, people always get excited and you know, as you know, we're, we're just are starting harvest now. But, uh, really for us, the busy time of the season has started a while ago from pr- protecting the vines from frost. When people are asleep, we're up protecting it. It's definitely a love of the land. It's a love of, of doing something that grows and produces something. And then we hand over those chicks for you guys to-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... You know, to do, to do wonders with and hopefully, those chicks will bring you some, uh, some good results.
Doug Shafer:
There you go. And, uh, you know, I'm, I'm not as much of a farmer as you are. Good thing, for sure but it, uh, it does seem like the farmers are the ones that are always out in the dark. (laughs) And then-
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs) That's true.
Doug Shafer:
... You know what it needs for this, for this-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... So early, uh, with frost protection that can be, uh, you know, midnight or one or two in the morning. And then you're up early anyway during the growing season and then the harvest comes. And everybody picks at night now. So now, you're, you know, working 10, 11, 12 o'clock at night until sun up. I mean, I, I tell people when they visit Napa Valley. Like during harvest, they say, "Hey. We want to see p- see picking." I say, "Well, you're out of luck." (laughs) Or-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... Get a, get a late dinner and/or stay up and then go drive around at one or two in the morning. And look for, uh, these lunar lander type, you know, lighting operations.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
And then there'll be a crew of I, crew of folks picking grapes. That's great.
Oscar Renteria:
Exactly. No. Exactly. That's what exactly what it is, Doug. You know and, and it, it's interesting because there's, uh, you know, um, growing grapes, uh, in the valley and, and you know, a- again, like I said, you know. I, I come from a, a legacy. Tell you about that in a bit. But, um, it's just, uh, it's, it's just, I, I find it to be in, in thrill, I mean, just thrilling. Because every season, I know we hear this all the time. Every season, it's different. It really is. It really is. And not only that but vine's the way that, you know, vines how they mature and how they start to get into the golden years. And, and then we got financial, you know, models. And we've got, um, it's a lot of pressure, you know. And, but I love that pressure. And I love to learn. And if you're not in this game to learn and definitely can see the fact that you're dealing with mother nature and the changes, that you continue to, to, uh, always progress and learn, you got to learn. And if you think you know everything, uh, you're in the wrong business.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. (laughs) Oh, well, we all know that one. Um.
Oscar Renteria:
Right. Right.
Doug Shafer:
Oh, and on top, on top of that, you got these crazy winemakers you got to deal with.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
You know. And, and, and just like, just like every year of every vineyard here, no two winemakers are alike either. You know, one wants-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... This. One wants that. Oh, my gosh. Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
Oh, it's crazy.
Doug Shafer:
Uh, yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
But you know, the best, but you know, the, the best partnerships are those that all are on the same page. I don't want people that, that, that, uh, that work for me that, that give me yes. I want clients who are going to challenge me. I want to know. "Hey. How can we, how can we do the best? To be, is because this is possible and be ready. Because changes come our way whether we're in control of those or not in control of them.
Doug Shafer:
Right. Right. So-
Oscar Renteria:
And what you do is super important. I mean, you know, listen. The end product, if we can't sell our goods, we can't, we can't, we can't tell our story. We can't make emotional connections without what you do. And I learned that the hard way from making wine. We can't do what we do. So, kudos to you. Uh, unfortunately, I got to give you kudos.
Doug Shafer:
(laughing) You know, from you, buddy, I'll take them today. (laughing)
Oscar Renteria:
All right.
Doug Shafer:
Oh, man.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
And, you know, it's funny. It's, uh, yeah. I remember getting, when I first got into this gig. It was a little bit of grower versus winemaker. I mean, it was, uh-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... There, and, and to a point, that it still happens a little bit. But, uh, boy, that, that is not the case at all anymore. Uh, is, if you were going to be successful in either growing grapes or making wine, you have to work hand in hand. I, uh, in my opinion and that's the success stories. And I've, you've probably seen that.
Oscar Renteria:
And, and you know what, Doug? You're right. Because it really in almost any success story, you're going to find one common denominator. And that's your, a very good relationship. I don't care if (laughs) it's with your partner or with your employees. Or with God or between grower, wearing, wearing the grower hat and the winer hat. It's about the relationship. And that's going to get you through the thick and thin. And it's going to, uh, hopefully, it's going to do, it's going to produce the best you got.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. And hopefully, have a little fun along the way, too. You know?
Oscar Renteria:
Both. Well, that's important.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
That's important.
Doug Shafer:
So is-
Oscar Renteria:
My motto has always been work hard and play harder.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. I know that about you. That's why I don't play with you. (laughing) I just work with you. (laughing) Anyway. So you mentioned your story. Let's hear the Renteria story. This goes way back with your dad. So, give me the whole entire-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... There.
Oscar Renteria:
Well, let me start first with a, with, with a, my mother. And my mother is the first one that will, to, to come to Napa Valley and, and, uh, landed in Yountville in 1952 at the age of 13.
Doug Shafer:
Wow.
Oscar Renteria:
Her and seven of her, um, siblings, her sisters and brothers, um, came with their mom and dad. And back then, you know, that was a ha- that was a hard, that was a hard trek. Yeah. She still tells the story, um, of at the age of 13. It took her about three days to get through the tunnel systems. She came to, to the United States illegally. And, um, was really difficult. It was really hard. And to hear somebody her age and, and, and my mother who was here was actually deported and spent the couple of days one in Napa County, uh, and another one in San Diego while she awaited to be deported to Mexico, uh, back to Mexico with her sisters. So, it, boy, I tell you. Uh, this is the first place where this starts.
Doug Shafer:
Huh.
Oscar Renteria:
Because, because it was my mother, right? And I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for a mom and that's my mother. So, it, and actually, she picked, when she came here at the age of 13, she ca- she went all over California. They picked, uh, tomatoes and cotton, artichokes, strawberries, uh, apples. Of course, prunes, walnuts and of, and grapes. Like a lot of people looking for the American dream. She worked her tail off. So a lot has to do with my mother coming here first in Yountville. And then, my father in 1962. In 1962, he came straight from San Diego in a Greyhound Bus. And landed at where the Rutherford Grill is now. That was the handy store.
Doug Shafer:
That's right.
Oscar Renteria:
Uh, yeah? The handy store. That's where La Luna was. And the day my dad came here, uh, 1962, August 16th, actually met my mother that same day here. Uh, my uncle, my had, uh, my dad, my father didn't have a dime to him. But my uncle who came here, uh, before my father in '59 through the Bracero program.
Doug Shafer:
Okay.
Oscar Renteria:
And still lives in the same house in the town of Rutherford. Um, right behind right behind BV, uh, that he, that he lived when he was there in '59. And that's how my dad got his start. He came here to, had an opportunity and worked his tail off.
Doug Shafer:
That's in, that's Salvador. It's all your dad.
Oscar Renteria:
Salvador, yeah.
Doug Shafer:
Oh, wow.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. My o- my old man.
Doug Shafer:
Your old man.
Oscar Renteria:
He's still, he's still a lot, he's still alive. He's 81. He's a pain.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
He's a, he's the, uh, founder, and a, well, it's on his business card. And then, uh, uh, and then, abuelito, grandpa. But he's a, he's in charge of quality control. We're still trying to define what that really means for him. I know he gets a paycheck. (laughing) He's, uh, it's nice to have your father on your, on your, uh, on your payroll.
Doug Shafer:
Oh, yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
I know the, I know that one.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
That was-
Oscar Renteria:
You know the deal. (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
Oh, I know the deal.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
Especially, especially when he, he'd go out, you know. He, he expensed to every lunch and dinner you ever had. It's like, that's not-
Oscar Renteria:
Absolutely.
Doug Shafer:
... That's okay, you know. Without him-
Oscar Renteria:
That's right.
Doug Shafer:
... Without him-
Oscar Renteria:
Yup.
Doug Shafer:
... You know, I wouldn't be here we, doing this. So.
Oscar Renteria:
That's right, Doug. Without them.
Doug Shafer:
So he, so he started out. What was, what did he do when he first got here? Just work in vineyards? Work in the fields?
Oscar Renteria:
Uh, you know, his first, his first, uh, place that he started was at Sterling Vineyards in 1962. And was there for, eight months. And just really had a hard time with the field work. From the town he came from, from, uh, Santa Cruz Vista Hermosa, Guadalajara in Mexico. Uh, sorry, in, uh, Jalisco-
Doug Shafer:
Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Oscar Renteria:
... Um, he worked in the, in the sugar, in the cane sugar fields. So he was used to working in the cane sugar fields. The work in the vineyard was a little bit harder. And he was older when he was doing it. So he wasn't that fond of that fir- his first try, uh, at harvest. So he left with another friend who invited him to go to Chicago.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs) Chicago?
Oscar Renteria:
Chicago because my father from a small town was a pool shark. And he was a barber. That was his trade. He was a barber.
Doug Shafer:
Oh.
Oscar Renteria:
And so, somebody had a p- a bar- uh, he went to go visit. Somebody had a pool hall. And said, "Hey, look. We'll put you right here. You can cut hair." And, you know, and, and, uh, nobody knew he was a pool shark.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
But he was. Back then, the, you know, you would be making, uh, maybe, I think the average, uh, average wage, hourly wage in, uh, in Chicago was about two bucks. And my father would be making 40, $50 a day just, um, shooting pool.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
Crazy. Crazy. So, so then-
Doug Shafer:
That's a crazy story.
Oscar Renteria:
... Uh, yeah. Yeah. And then he left because it got too cold. I mean, I think my dad's a little fi- I mean, he's a tough man. But boy, he was fi- (laughs) his skin was, skin was thin. Not like mine. And so, he-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... He, um, it got too cold for him. He came back. And he settled back into, back at Sterling again.
Doug Shafer:
Okay.
Oscar Renteria:
And he, and worked his butt off from a, a, you know, field worker picking grapes again. Recognized as a tractor operator, then as a foreman, then as a manager, then as a supervisor. And really, I think in 1968, when Sterling was developing the Three Palms Vineyard- ... Owned by the Sloan, Sloan family, um, that he got his big chance to be the, what he would say was that one of the, well, the first real, first Mexicans to be given a chance to do it his way. Do it and they knew, they knew him and he then knew his talents. And that, uh, you know, he, he got that opportunity. And he, he took it. And he ran and then, uh, when, uh, in '72, when, um, an, an, management company here was foreign by the name of Walsh Vineyard Management, my father and Mike Walsh formed that company together. He was that number one man.
Oscar Renteria:
And my father would tell you to this day that really where he, he honed his skills is when they were developing the BV Vineyards alongside Andre Tchelistcheff. Because Andre took my father in and s- sh- uh, shown the technical side of, of viticulture. My father had the practical side down. Because even Andre wouldn't hold a pair of sheers in front of my dad in the field. None, nobody would. I mean, he's a skilled barber. He's a skilled pool shark.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
And it, it's incredible how he wields, uh, shears. I mean, (laughs) it's f- it's a pretty cool thing to see him do it.
Doug Shafer:
... That's amazing. So he was at-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... Sterling for how long was he at Sterling?
Oscar Renteria:
He was at Sterling for twe- almost, uh, yeah, almost 12 years and then that Vineyard Management Company started in '72. And he came, yeah. He came with my, with, uh, with Mike Walsh to start that company and he stayed with Mike until 19, 1987. But along the way, he, he had developed the vineyards for, uh, BV. He developed, uh, vineyards for, um, Disney. In fact, I remember because I didn't know. I, I knew who would, I knew who Linda Disney was. I think (laughs) my father was walking with Linda Disney.
Doug Shafer:
Which is Sil- Silverado Vineyards.
Oscar Renteria:
Crazy.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
Yup. Silverado Vineyard. And back then, Ric Forman and Nils Venge, um, uh, I mean, he just had a treme- a lot, um, a lot of stories about a lot of folks. I think that's what was really interesting. What I heard, what my father, uh, in, uh, he, um, he retired. He announced his retirement in 1987. And I came home from, from college for the, for his, his going away party. And there were titans of industry in there. I w- I knew the names. I didn't really appreciate the names. But the who's who were in that room.
Oscar Renteria:
And the thing they were telling me were that, you know, yeah. Your father's a master when it comes to vineyards and all that. Yeah. That, that, nobody, uh, he's second to none. But what made my father signi- what they thought of my father is that is just such a good person and a leader. And really showed that he cared and he instilled the qua- w- quality met and pride of ownership to farm workers who were doing at work. Because back then, Andre Tchelistcheff and a lot of other folks were really looking at honing down on, you know, two bud shoots, canes, arching, different techniques but having pride and ownership.
Oscar Renteria:
And my ha- was, my father was in there. Still extremely passionate man.
Doug Shafer:
Wow.
Oscar Renteria:
He gets, he gets hot. He gets hot. (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
Well, you know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, big guy.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
Um, but you know, I just found out something that I never knew about, um, Mike Walsh's company. So-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... I was, uh, let's see. When did we buy Red Shoulder? Um-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... '88?
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
Late '80s. I had another company. Farm it for a few years, develop it and it was time to, um, make a change in the vineyard. So I hooked up with Walsh because they were right next to Red Shoulder doing the-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... Cuvaison stuff that was their home base.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
And Walsh at that time, I mean, they were just an animal of a vineyard management company and still are. They're great.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
Their reputation and I got to work with Mike for a few years before he retired. But, uh, some of the other guys under him but I never knew that your dad was with him in the early years. That's-
Oscar Renteria:
Number one-
Doug Shafer:
That's-
Oscar Renteria:
... Number one man.
Doug Shafer:
There you go.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
Because and, um-
Oscar Renteria:
Number one guy.
Doug Shafer:
... Because the Walsh Vineyard Management Company like the Renteria Company, um, known for quality. Quality, quality, quality. You want something done super good, super right. That's who you call. So
Oscar Renteria:
And not cheap.
Doug Shafer:
There's that.
Oscar Renteria:
And not cheap.
Doug Shafer:
And not-
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
... Yeah. And yeah. I know that one. (laughing) Yeah. But you know, you realize I, I've got my own vineyard crew right now. But hey, Oscar. Maybe someday, we could get together on something. So.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs) Yeah. Give me a special deal.
Oscar Renteria:
Absolutely.
Doug Shafer:
All right. So, fantastic father. And then when do you, when do you show up into the world?
Oscar Renteria:
Well, I showed up in the world in 1967. Um, then, uh, that I remember, I have (laughs) still do, remember? Thir- I have 13, I have 14 aunts and uncles that lived in the valley then. Still do. Some, uh, um, and, uh, 36 fru-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... 14 aunts and uncles. 36 first cousins. I remember back then because we would congregate-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... On the weekends in that soccer field at, at RLS soccer field. And it was, it wa- they were huge parties. But these are families that came and, and he, my father had, and between my mother and my father, I'd say there was 14 of them. But the Olgins and the Aguirre's and the Lopez' and the Gonz- I mean, these families were huge.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
They're just huge families. And, uh, I, at the age of 11 usually, yeah, about the age of 11, unless you were a little bit bigger. Um, a, a male, that's about the time that a, that the expectation of a c- of a, of a male son of farmer, of a farm worker would start working in the fields.
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
That would be your Thanksgiving, your Christmas, your summer vacations. But I thought it was pretty fun because my aunts, my unc- my aunts and uncles and my cousins were out there. You know, we were out there at Three Palms and we were just doing shoot tying or removing, I, we couldn't prune because our hands were not strong enough to close the shears.
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
But everything else, that's how we lived. And that, and I liked it because like, I, I made money and my m- mother (laughs) and my father were very ins- very persistent about making sure that I understood that if I didn't want to work with a shovel long term, I better study. And my mom was, she was, uh, was, if it wasn't for my mother, I, my education, it was, it was my mom that did it. I only spoke Spanish. Like all of my cousins, we didn't speak English- In, in St. Helena and, um, you know, for the, my preschool and my first gra- first grade, it was, uh, only Spanish speaking, uh, kids in that class. And my mother intentionally at the, the beg- at the end of my f- uh, first grade, she moved us to Napa. We were the only family that moved out of St. Helena. We moved to Napa. And for the reasons that I would go to a Catholic school and it has to be Catholic and to learn the language. Well, she tossed me in second grade at St. Apolinaris. There's, uh, not knowing a word of, of English. Uh, that was pretty traumatic. (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
Gosh.
Oscar Renteria:
That was pretty traumatic.
Doug Shafer:
You got to be kidding me. Well-
Oscar Renteria:
But she's awesome.
Doug Shafer:
... What was that like? That must have been crazy. You probably remember it like it was yesterday.
Oscar Renteria:
Oh.
Doug Shafer:
Right?
Oscar Renteria:
You know, yeah. I, yeah, I do. It was, I had these images. I, there was, there was the nuns that protected me. There was a priest that, Father Bob who was great. But I got picked on. I, I really did. I got picked on. I got in my first fight when I was in second grade actually with Steve Leveque who's a winemaker at Hall. Now he's on his own. He's been with Chalk Hill.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
I've known that guy since second grade.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
He will debate to this day but I actually kicked his butt.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
I actually broke his, actually, (laughs) he, his, he had blood on him, not on me. My blood was from his, from my fist. (laughs) but, um, but-
Doug Shafer:
Uh.
Oscar Renteria:
... But I got, I got picked on. But you know what? I, it made me strong. And my father was a, was a person. I remember my first, that was, that was a small fight. But my first real fight was in seventh grade. And, uh, and, and my father, even though I, I, you know, I, I defended myself, he was not happy about the fact that I, I, I, I was, I was getting- ... physical or would punch somebody. And he showed me a picture. He says, "You think that you, you th- you don't have any idea (laughs) about discrimination. Let me show you." So he showed me a picture that he's on the beach in Chicago in 1962. The beach, the ocean, the, the-
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
... The giant lake.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah, the lake. Right.
Oscar Renteria:
And it said, he, the sign said, "No, it, uh, it, no Chinese. No Mexicans. No dogs allowed on this beach."
Doug Shafer:
Oh.
Oscar Renteria:
That kind of, that, that put it into perspective to me. I thought, you know, I do, I, I do, um, I do understand. And I am listening. I know the hardships of folks. My father and my mother were really great about making sure I didn't hold, uh, you know, resentments. And I, I, um, I really sought ways to forgive. My mother's extremely forgiving and for whatever reason, um, I got that trait from my mother. Crazy. It's crazy. (laughs) It's crazy.
Doug Shafer:
That's crazy but good for her, you know -
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
And you know, and Doug, the other thing is that, you know, the, the, everyone of our families, all of us were told. The kids were told that we were going to be here for a few years and then we're make, they're making money. And we're going back to the mother country. We're going back to Mexico where they could build a house and have some money. That never happened. And it was pretty disruptive of my 36 first cousins. There's a, two ha- uh, c- uh, you know, six or seven of us that ever went to college.
Doug Shafer:
Wow. I'm just blown away hearing the story. Um, that must have been kind of disconcerting, too. You're growing up thinking, you know, at any time, you guys might need to move back to Mexico. That must have been kind-
Oscar Renteria:
I mean, it was hard because you didn't know. You were confu- at that age, you-
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
... You know, it was, it was hard to know. I just, uh, but I did know this that it took hard work. What we were doing here but I was, you know, there was a lot of family, a lot of people here. The parties were big back then. I mean, it was a, it's a, it was a-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... A lot of people on the weekends. And my father, he sponsored and coached a semi pro soccer team. So we always had, it, whether it was the workers or whether he was, you know, helping them out financially or whatever. My dad gave a lot to, to, uh, the community. But, uh, s- soccer was just like a huge thing. I mean, there were, people were in our house all the time. All the time. (laughs) I didn't know who they were. They knew me then we knew them. But, um, my f- my dad was extremely, um, very open to the community. And, and, uh, and I, and like a very important role model. You know, when I started taking over in '80, '87, I joined my, uh, sorry. In '89 when I joined my father and they finally bought, bought them out in '95. The one thing he told me was, "Listen. Here's the thing. I'm going to sell it to you but under one condition. Do not screw up my last name and your last name." We have a reputation.
Oscar Renteria:
Don't do anything that's going to ruin that. And improve on it. Do the right thing. Show that you care. At the end of the day, the wine, just, just, if you, when you got the grower and the, and the winemaker a, a, or the winemaker and the grower at odds, do what you think is right with the vine. Just, but be honest. So, uh-
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
... Um, yeah. I to- I think it was my saving grace.
Doug Shafer:
Well, it's a-
Oscar Renteria:
A lesson.
Doug Shafer:
... He's a great father, man. You know, great example.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
Great mentor. You know, I, I had the same experience.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
Pretty unique. So-
Oscar Renteria:
We're pretty lucky.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
We're lucky.
Doug Shafer:
We're lucky guys. So, high school. Justin-Siena?
Oscar Renteria:
Justin-Siena High School. Again-
Doug Shafer:
Catholic?
Oscar Renteria:
... Keeping up with my, yup. Yup.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
Justin-Siena High School. Yup. I was a good Catholic kid. Yeah. I played football. Um, and I played, uh, I played basketball when I was in grade school. I played, um, a little bit of baseball when I was in grade school. But, uh, what I played was football when I was in high school. That was, that was kind of my sport. I never learned to play soccer because my father was so-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... Deep into it and I was his son.
Doug Shafer:
Well-
Oscar Renteria:
He was also very tough. Tough on his son. He was very tough. He wanted me to be- if I wasn't going to be the best, he didn't. It was kind of interesting. This is a story that he tells me. He's like, "I didn't want to teach you because I thought, what if you failed?" I'm like, "What do you mean if I failed?" He was just, my father was a perfectionist as well. I, and I thank him for it. He worked, he worked, he, w- he worked me to the bone in, in learning the trade from him. My father w- it was also not just the technique.
Oscar Renteria:
But my dad was the really the mental part of the game, which was, you know, how you treat people. What do you do? How- conflict resolution but this is like an early stage of life. In the morning, he wanted me to f- be the first out there. He wanted me to be the last one to come home. But he would talk about work every meal, every dinner. Every, after hours. He'd walk into my room. What would you do? How could you see yourself getting rid of that person without firing him? I mean, it was, it was relentless. I w- I, I-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... Moved in with, I moved in, I moved in after I graduated from college. He called me. I had no intent of coming back to Napa for the reasons kind of what you were saying is that, I, also took it for granted. It was a farming community. But I want to do my own thing. I want to find my own self and I went to s- after s- Justin-Siena High School, I graduated there and I went to St. Mary's College ... in Moraga in the, in the East Bay. And, um-
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. What was, what was the plan?
Oscar Renteria:
... I-
Doug Shafer:
What did you study?
Oscar Renteria:
Loved it. I studied business.
Doug Shafer:
Okay.
Oscar Renteria:
And that, I wanted to do business and out of the class of 1,003 people, there are only four Latinos. And I was actually rec- you know, recruited by a money manager. I didn't know what that meant. (laughing) I had no idea. But I was excited because I bought some suits. Then my father called me. August 17th, about a week before I'm going to start, he's like, "Hey. You know what? You know, I, I have this little thing. I'm managing, uh, 40 acres. I got a, you know, five employees and myself." And he was doing everything.
Oscar Renteria:
Uh, it started in '87 and I was doing it, you know, but now, I, I think I'm going to take it more seriously. And I wondered if you come home and help me. I didn't ask him what he's going to pay me.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
And ask him what it was and, uh, I came home. I was, I'm indebted to my parents for their sacrifice and their story and what they've been able to do for me and for, and for my family and for others. So, that was an easy response. I wasn’t aware he wasn't going to pay me.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
Um, but I guess he paid me-
Doug Shafer:
So let me, why, why, you le-
Oscar Renteria:
... With food? (laughs) Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... Well, let me get this straight. So he was at, uh, Walsh until '87.
Oscar Renteria:
Yes.
Doug Shafer:
Retired from Walsh and they s- and then he started his own vineyard management company in '87.
Oscar Renteria:
Yes.
Doug Shafer:
So he was, how-
Oscar Renteria:
Yes. Six months later.
Doug Shafer:
... How old was he? 50-ish?
Oscar Renteria:
Late 40s, early 50s.
Doug Shafer:
And you're getting out of college.
Oscar Renteria:
Which is young.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah? Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
It is.
Oscar Renteria:
Ge- I was getting out of college and he called me. And he says, "Come on down." And then, then, uh, for that first experience, I don't know if you remember this vintage, Doug. But 1989, it ran. It, it, it rained.
Doug Shafer:
Oh, boy. Yeah. I remember.
Oscar Renteria:
It was brutal.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs) Yeah. It was-
Oscar Renteria:
It was brutal. It was no fun. And I was up in Chiles Valley. We were harvesting fruits, Sauvignon blanc and he had helicopters he rented because it had rained. And the fruit, you could touch it, it would disin- disintegrate. You touch it with-
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
... And I was driving a f- I was driving an eight-ton forklift. Because, um, that's exactly what I did for 14 months when I came to work for my dad. He's like, "No, no, no, no. You're not going to, you're going to go right here." Like, where? Like, (laughs) get on that tractor. Get on that forklift. Get on that chopper. Get on that mower. You're going to cultivate, in-row mow. You're going to we- you're going to weed whack, which is good. You're going to spray. I, you know, I wanted to learn, I wanted to do what my father told me. But I want to learn from him and, and give him that pride and ownership.
Oscar Renteria:
But to try to re- try to gain respect. So, I worked as hard as I could. As hard as I could and as fast as I could and as, as the best that I could do. He was tough.
Doug Shafer:
Oh.
Oscar Renteria:
My father was tough. My father was tough. But, but I appreciate it. I love him for being tough. I blame him for being tough. But I also blame him for my success and who I am.
Doug Shafer:
I'm with you. So, meanwhile, when does your lovely bride come into the picture?
Oscar Renteria:
My, my beautiful bride showed up in 1986. She was a junior at s- at, uh, in a, in a high school here at Justin-Siena High School. And I was, uh, freshman in college. And my cousin, John Lopez was dating her best friend. And I didn't know her. You know, but apparently, she knew me in high school. Um, I was, a b- I was, uh, you know, I was, I was a, a bit popular back then. No longer, thank God. But bit, but bit back then and, and she knew who I was. And I, apparently I dated one or two of her, her classmates. But I, I, I didn't look for, I wasn't looking for a blind date.
Oscar Renteria:
So my cousin told me. It was a 49er game and I'm like, "Holy shit. I'm definitely going to the 49er."
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
I mean, if I get a chance because I never had-
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
... My first experience, blind date, a Niner game. I thought there's got to be something wrong with this girl. And then that, then I, I met her at the c- at the stadium (laughs) tailgating. I'm like, "Holy Moly."
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
It's two bir- two birds, one stone. I thought maybe she was, you know, she had, you know, bad, eyesight. I wasn't sure.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
She, I mean, she misidentified the wrong guy, you know. But man, uh, it just, just became, uh, instant. It was just an interesting relationship we had. It was love at first sight. Um, but she was young. 17 and I was a little young at 19. Um, so we dated for a few months after that. And then, um, af- as soon as the 9ers season was (laughing) over-
Doug Shafer:
Just as soon as the-
Oscar Renteria:
... Not really true. Maybe. Maybe. It might have been. It might have coincided. And we ended up going to St. Mary's College, um, uh, no plan at, either ones because we were broken up. And we got back together-
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
... About three years after she graduate, two years after she graduated. I proposed to her in '94. We got married in 1995. And she was actually, there were only three employees at Renteria Vineyard Management in 1995. She was one, one of the three employees. We had more than that. We had 20 employees.
Doug Shafer:
Oh.
Oscar Renteria:
And she was the office. She was the admin. She did all the payroll. She did, well, we didn't have HR department but she did payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable. Um, but we were, uh, you know, we were a, a three-man band. My dad, um, Denise and myself. But you know, I got to tell you this, Doug before I forget. And I don't know if you remember the year that you're, that CIA when Copia opened and they gave their first year awards. It was Grower of the Year. Uh, I think Winemaker of the Year and Vineyard Manager of the Year. I don't remember the three awards given. It was your dad and it was at the, it was at the, um, that auditorium at the CIA.
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
The first year, you know, because, because they went, uh, they went, they went, uh, you know, they went out of business there a few, a couple two, three years after that. But your dad, but your dad, uh, Robert Mondavi and my father were the first three recipients of those, those awards that were, you know, they're in that theater. And I remember, it was, I mean, all the speeches were very touching. And my father, (laughs) this is kind of funny. My father is talking and he gave one of the best speeches ever. Very emotional for, for everybody in the s-
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
... In the, in the seats. And that he said, and, I have to say that if I looked and say what was been like my, uh, the o- the one person in my life of the success, uh, you know, in my, in where I have, I'd tell you. Because it was going to be my mother or I but then what he was saying referring to the business. I'm like, I'm getting ready. I'm prepping myself and kind of adjusting my seat.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
I'm like, "Oh." Wiping off the, wiping off the tear. He's like, "S- my, my daughter-in-law, Denise." So she stands up.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
I was, it, I wasn't jealous. I was kind of taken back and then super happy and proud. He's like, "If it wasn't for her to keep the peace with that guy and to help me with that guy, you know, we wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be here. And I got to give it to her." (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
There you go. Well, good. She deserves it.
Oscar Renteria:
Sums it up.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
She, just kind of, kind of tells you. I tell you.
Doug Shafer:
No. I, I've seen her in action with your three gorgeous daughters, you know. All the school stuff and organizing this and organizing that through the years. I mean, she's always, you know, always on it and just, so much energy. It's amazing to me.
Oscar Renteria:
You know, um, you know how life is. Life is, you know, life goes pretty quick. There's a lot of things you can u- you see sometimes don't stop. And that I'm very thankful that my wife and I continue to learn from her is this side of slowing down. And seeing and being present. It's not easy. Mindfulness and meditation. I've been, I've done, I'm doing some crazy things. I started eight years ago because of my wife. But I'm all in. And guess what? It, it really has done a lot for me, a lot. I wish I knew it 18 years ago.
Oscar Renteria:
But, uh, thank God I've, uh, I have found some religion and, and I listen to when she preaches it.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs) Good. Good, good to hear. So back on the work front, you're still working with your dad. And, uh, at some point, he steps back and you take over. What, tell me about that.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. So, uh, in '93, started having some health issues again. And that was he was, um, having, um, anxiety attacks. He all of a sudden, he just get, uh, just feel like he's walking and could, could walk into a black hole.
Doug Shafer:
Oh, man.
Oscar Renteria:
My dad had a lot, he had a lot of stress. And it was, to be honest with you, he s- he told me so that our, his doctor's like, "It was self-induced." He couldn't slow himself down. And he was talking about something. He's so passionate whether it was, uh, um, you know, soccer or, or vines. He'd just get excited. He- ... (laughs) he just gets so excited. Um, and so, and he asked me if I wanted, he wanted to transition. Plus he loved the game of golf. And he wanted to play more golf every day. And-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... He plays, he plays six days of golf, um, six days of golf a week here at Silverado Country Club, my dad.
Doug Shafer:
Does he still?
Oscar Renteria:
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely. You know when I-
Doug Shafer:
At 81.
Oscar Renteria:
... Knew he retired? Let me, let me tell you when I knew he finally retired. I, because in '93, he started, you know, he started to, towards that, that path. But in '95, it was, in the month of June. And I was in the office. And it was just my wife and I. And we were a little shop and little, little, little office. And we were, um, my dad came in. I'm on the phone. And he s- uh, he throws down a black and white 8.5 by 11 photocopy, a black and white of a Golfer Digest, of a golfer and a Golfer Digest, a swing. It was like a swing.
Oscar Renteria:
It was a diagram. And I'm on the phone. And he's talking. He's not talking to me but he's making gestures. And he's looking at me. He's like, "You know, you got to break the e-." He said, "I can see he's trying to do his break his hips and uncoil and-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... He's talking to me while I'm on the phone. And now, I just got to tell you because I like to play golf, too. But, uh, when I started working for my dad, I stopped playing golf.
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
That was it. I used to play two or three days a week. And when I came to work for him, nothing.
Doug Shafer:
Nothing. No.
Oscar Renteria:
Zero.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
No, no, no. Zilch.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
Zilch. And so, uh, um, so, he, he throws his paper. He leaves. I get off the phone. And I turn to my wife, I'm like, "Oh, my God." That was 1995. Said, "My dad just retired." She's like, "What do you mean?" I was like, "My dad never comes and talks to me."
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
We talk about golf but, but it's the fourth or fifth conversation, the third or fourth hour, not the first thing. He just retired.
Doug Shafer:
There you go.
Oscar Renteria:
He just retired. And he, and he did. That's when he stopped looking over my shoulder. (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
Wow.
Oscar Renteria:
I mean, he retired.
Doug Shafer:
That's good.
Oscar Renteria:
So, gave up the reins. I was, you know, I was, it was interesting when I graduated from college, I had offers for, for work, working for, at Beringer by Bob Steinhauer, at Hartwell. Like other places in, and my dad told me about this. Like, yes, you know, you're getting some offers to go work but you don't know poop about vineyard management.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
I mean, that tiny things, you know, how to hold shears and stuff. But I said, "Why would they offer me a job?" "Because you're my son. They think because you're my son, I'm going to tell you or teach you." That's crazy. No way.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
But, but you should know, you can go over there and you're going to make money. But if you come with me in this business, you're going to see Cabernet growing up all over the valley in different places. You get to experience different things. And to me, that was, and of course, I, I had, I needed to work for my father and help him.
Doug Shafer:
Well, that was your, plus, that was your PhD. I mean, that, you know-
Oscar Renteria:
Oh, yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... I mean, look what, you never would have had that. Um, I've been f- oh, not frustrated but sometimes, I'm not jealous. I'm not frustrated but I look, it's like, uh, folks that are consulting winemakers and get to go to have seven or eight or nine clients. And so, they get to go to these different spots to, to get to deal with fruit from different areas. You know-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... And that to me, we, I mean, if someone say, "Hey. What would you like to do?" That would be really fun. Just to go-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... Try to learn fruit in a new spot. I mean, you know, we have great vineyards. I love our fruit. And we know it well but it, you know, you know, sometimes, we're looking to do new things. That, that would be kind of cool. And you got that early on, which has made you invaluable as a vineyard manager. You know, without a doubt.
Oscar Renteria:
We're one of the first to start picking Sauvignon blanc. And we started last week in the valley. We'll be one of the last to be picking Cabernet. Because we grew ca- we, we grow our grapes in all 16 appellations in the Napa Valley. And you know, we bring in about 8,000 tons. And it's-
Doug Shafer:
Oof.
Oscar Renteria:
... From one end to the other-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... From one end to the other. And, you know, our biggest client is, is Rombauer. And our smallest client is Blackbird.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
With full gamut, I work with 48 winemakers. Um, and that in itself is, is pretty interesting and awesome. And you know, I, I, uh, my wife and I were lucky enough to, to l- to, uh, purchase the br- the Brown Ranch from, uh, Saintsbury, 2013. And in 2016, pretty sizeable acreage of 15 acres in Oakville right, uh, uh, between Bonny's Vineyard and, um, Groth. And before I came on the scene, that fruit was going to two homes, two big homes, which is fine. But today, they go to 32 homes. I’m a small vintner, small folks, small folks that get a chance, you know, but I'm also doing it because I, I'm looking to be the best. And it takes, yeah, that usually takes the whole cycle of a vineyard's age to get to a point where you think you kind of know it. And then, we start with new rootstock and maybe some new clones. But land is the land. Terroir is the terroir.
Oscar Renteria:
That is the consistency of how one can be good such as yourselves, right? I mean, you know the land. You know its tendencies. And you know, but that, that, there's more to the, to it than that. And you know an adversity what you do in 2011. What do you differently in-
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
... What are you going to do to justi- predict, so, yeah. I, you know, I, I know what you're saying but man, honing in on your skills for the l- for the length of our lives, your life, is still going to be challenging. (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
Man, you've got a lot.
Oscar Renteria:
It's still challenging. (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
8,000 tons. How many, how many acres do you guys manage?
Oscar Renteria:
20, uh, 20, about 2100.
Doug Shafer:
Wow.
Oscar Renteria:
Almost 2200. Almost 2200 but we'll do small sites. We do, you know. We-
Doug Shafer:
Do you-
Oscar Renteria:
... The whole Four Seasons and the Montage.
Doug Shafer:
... Got-
Oscar Renteria:
We do resort groups.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. You got, you do resort groups. You do wineries. You do a lot of independent growers also?
Oscar Renteria:
I do. A third of our, a third of our management, uh, is for independent growers. Two thirds for wineries and a third for the, the growers. And there was a time when I wouldn't take on smaller than 20, 25 acres. And I, I sta- and, and about eight years ago, I said to myself. "You know, if I really want to, if I really want to do, do, you know, make a, make a mark in this valley and help others, I got to start thinking about smaller properties."
Doug Shafer:
Huh.
Oscar Renteria:
So now, we're, we're a point where we, we can, um, you know, we can select who we work with. Um, and it's not bec- not to be pompous but at the end of the day, I just want to work with people that, that like me and people that I like. That I, that I like. That we get along.
Doug Shafer:
Well, you have to be wise-
Oscar Renteria:
It sounds easy. (laughing)
Doug Shafer:
... I was going to say.
Oscar Renteria:
Sounds easy.
Doug Shafer:
I was going to say you're talking about 40 winemakers and you're throwing how many growers on top of that. That's probably-
Oscar Renteria:
Oh, yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... A ha- how many clients? 100 clients? I mean, you've got to get along with everybody. That's-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... That's a, that's a cha- and it, just, and these are-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... And these are like, not like, uh, A and B, black and white decisions. These are like, where else should we water it again? Or not? Gee, you think it's going to get hot or not? Gee, I think we should-
Oscar Renteria:
Oh.
Doug Shafer:
... Do this. No. I think we should prune it this way. I, every decision, oh, man. If you don't get along, wow. I-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. You got to have support.
Doug Shafer:
... I got a headache-
Oscar Renteria:
It's crazy.
Doug Shafer:
... Just thinking about that. (laughing)
Oscar Renteria:
But you know, it's those partnerships. Right? It's the people. It's where we live. It's where you see them. It's, you see their kids. You, you, uh, you live together. Um, it's, it's really interesting. Because I'm also, I've also, at my age, at 52, the ripe age of 52. (laughs) I have seen and, uh, um, you know, succession that works in succession that doesn't work. And, and, you know, it really starts with generation and in, and the, their relationships and, and how they earn it. You know? We try to do the best we can. I certainly, um, am just, I'm happy I got really good relationships in the valley with folks.
Oscar Renteria:
But you, you know, that started with my father. It started with my mother. It's with my family. And what I care most about is the community. And most, most of that community would be when it comes to farmworkers and their families.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
That's what we're really passionate about. And, you know, and, and the other thing is that, um, I'm also, uh, a client. I grow grapes for our label. My wife and I own a, a, a small label called Tres Perlas, which is a, it means three pearls in Spanish. And it's for-
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. Tell me. Yeah. Tell me about that one. So, it's in-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... Honor of your daughters? And?
Oscar Renteria:
Yup. Three genera- three generations, three daughters.
Doug Shafer:
Okay.
Oscar Renteria:
Um, and all, three generations that we're here. The vineyard that we have in Oakville is called 360 because my father landed in Rutherford when he first came here and my mom in Yountville. Well, Oakville's right in the middle and it really completes that circle really of our story. And to, to be in the epicenter of the valley. You know, we grow grapes in all the appellations but it's nice to have that Oakville and really have our own property also in the, in Carneros. So we make less than a thousand cases or, our wines are club member only. Um, but you're not going to find them in a store.
Oscar Renteria:
Um, or, or on a restaurant. But, uh, and we've just been really fortunate that, you know, we, we network with people around the valley who, who help us and promote us. Because we don't have a place. You got to, I believe in what we do. And, um, and s- kind of buy without, buy without tasting the wines in many cases. And so, uh-
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
... We, I, I've never, you know, I didn't know about this market. 200 bucks a bottle. 225 and 400. Thank you, Andy Beckstoffer and the Becksto- Beckstoffer Vineyard To Kolan vineyard because we, we've produced a few, few wines from that property. But that's what I do. I'm making the very best. I promised my wife four years ago that if I didn't make money by year five, that I would give it up. Make 50 cases of expensive wine to s- to give away. And that was the deal. (laughing)
Doug Shafer:
So-
Oscar Renteria:
So far so good.
Doug Shafer:
... Good news. So, well, welcome to the wine making world. What did you think of that? Kind of crazy? You want to-
Oscar Renteria:
It's kind of cra-
Doug Shafer:
... You wanted to get big?
Oscar Renteria:
... No.
Doug Shafer:
Or increase production? Come on.
Oscar Renteria:
No. No. No, no, no. Thank you. I'm, I'm f- for the first time, I'm making money-
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
... In the wine business. No way.
Doug Shafer:
Come on.
Oscar Renteria:
And you know what? I got-
Doug Shafer:
Distribute it for 50 states. Get on the plane with me. Come on, baby. You can do it.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. Right. Yeah. Well, when I ha- I'd, I, you know, my wife and I first made our wines in '97 and 2013, she said, "You know, you've been losing your butt on this. And you still want to do this." Now, you're trading time with your kids and your time. And I said, "You're right. I quit." Forget it.
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
But, but can I make a couple of small really high end, you know, get the very best stuff I can find and pedigree of fruits? Like, "Yeah. Try that. You got five years." (laughing)
Doug Shafer:
She's-
Oscar Renteria:
That's-
Doug Shafer:
... Lovely but she's tough as nails. God, I love that girl.
Oscar Renteria:
Well, oh, wow, you know. And she, she, she, um, graduated with a, a degree in finance and a m- and a minor in economics. So, she's smart.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah.
Oscar Renteria:
And she, yeah. She's been very tolerant and very patient of me. (laughs)
Doug Shafer:
I'm with you. You mentioned, uh, quickly, your g- you're involved with, uh, the farm workers, local Napa Valley Farm Worker Foundation. That's a big part of your life. Right?
Oscar Renteria:
It is. Absolutely.
Doug Shafer:
Tell me. Tell me about that.
Oscar Renteria:
You know, when I was, like I said, it goes back really to the first time I was really exposed and introduced to the needs in the valley. And I saw them but really, who could help? And it's, again, it started with your father at Clinic Ole. And then from there, even, um, working, uh, as a, I was on the Board of Trustee at Justin-Siena High School. My responsibility there was to try to, try to, um, bring in, um, from feeder schools Latinos on scholarship rides to Justin-Siena High School. I was on the board of the Napa Valley Community Foundation for a few years.
Oscar Renteria:
Clinic Ole's board for a few years. Um, and then, Farm Worker Foundation. I really have settled to that. Like I, I've, I've, removed myself from several boards to, you know, to focus on a, a few. Um, and that was, uh, Blue Oak School.
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
I served there for six years. And, and then, um, here most recently and currently, my pride is really the, uh, the Farm Worker, uh, Napa Valley Farm Workers Foundation. That to me is, it's, it's huge and I love it.
Doug Shafer:
Tell me more about the foundation. What, what do you guys, what do you guys do? What are you involved with?
Oscar Renteria:
So, it started, you know, that, really what it does is that it, uh, provides, um, educational, uh, programs for farm workers and a tremendous amount of other things for, um, for their families. So we have, uh, like our Dia De La Familia where we educate folks. Obviously, we were linked to the Napa Valley Grape Growers but became such an entity in itself and the need that, you know, our, uh, for example, we have a 16-week, we have nine different kinds of courses for a 16-week l- English literacy program.
Oscar Renteria:
So if you attend that, um, many of the growers here, um, help their employees who want to learn the l- the language, the English language. But there's, and it's got all the specialized tra- all the specialized training. And really, in Napa here, the specialized training is pretty remarkable. Right? If you want to know a trade and leadership skills, so we have a gamut of things that we offer for, uh, for the growers.
Oscar Renteria:
And for the Farm Worker Foundations for, and for their families, I mean, right now, COVID-19, we have funded specific endeavors and partner up, partnered up for, you know, um, mobile testing for COVID-19 for our farm workers. But educating and staying on top, it's pretty hard. You know, there's over 50 vineyard management companies let alone how many, you know, hundreds of growers there are.
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
To have a resource like that, it's really taking care of farm worker, the, the farm workers' issues. And this really be- this is a baby that was born by the Napa Valley Grape Growers, uh, nine, 10 years ago when they had a fund raiser for Fund A Need. And we can raise some money, that was $20,000 that was 10 years ago.
Doug Shafer:
Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Oscar Renteria:
Last year was, um, you know, a, over $1 million.
Doug Shafer:
Wow.
Oscar Renteria:
And the whole f- fund raiser was over, sorry, over $2 million. So, people give with their hearts here. Especially, especially when it comes to the farm workers. You know, Doug, I was going to tell you that, uh, when, when I think about the story of the f- the forefathers in this, in this, um, in this valley, Robert Mondavi was, was one that was really significant, too. One that you touched on earlier was like the advances of viticulture for us and, you know, and this progression and how, you know, and, and the evolution of Napa Valley.
Oscar Renteria:
Robert Mondavi did a tremendous amount of things when we, we get in, we got into phylloxera and we got eaten by phylloxera here. And then, we rotate, we, uh, and started replanting with root stock uh, to, um, Robert Mondavi planted all the r- all the different root stocks on different, um, on, on the different, um, trellis systems, different kinds of pruning systems. And how they fend it and the berry is the measure. He spent so much money on R&D. It was ridiculous. And you know what he did? He opened that door for that research and those findings-
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
... To ev- everybody.
Doug Shafer:
Sure.
Oscar Renteria:
People don't re- people don't remember that. So a lot of the decisions that we made back then were based on his, uh, trial and errors. And-
Doug Shafer:
No. I, I tell the story and-
Oscar Renteria:
... Crazy.
Doug Shafer:
... I could, I remember calling up Brad Warner and saying, "Can I pick your brain for two hours?" And he was the cellar master. And he-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... He sat down and told me, he answered every question I had. No, you know.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
It was great.
Oscar Renteria:
Crazy. And you remember his birthday, he had, um, I think it was his 80th birthday. It might have been his 75th, I remember. But that was the first time that made such a huge impression. Because I remember the folks that were planning that. We were growers from Mondavi. Um, so we were, you know, we tied in and we, we could hear. And I, I remember going to his party. And I remember the Rothchilds because he had like, his favorite 20 restaurants all over the world that had booths. And that was, who's who people. I don't know who they were.
Oscar Renteria:
But I was told they were who's whose. Stars and celebrities and such and chefs and stuff. Uh, but it, throughout that crowd, there were field workers there.
Doug Shafer:
Sure.
Oscar Renteria:
And I, when I walked in, I was taken aback. And, and I later found out that he changed the date of this because he, and also because he wanted to have all of his employees show up. Not just, um, non farm workers but-
Doug Shafer:
Right. Right.
Oscar Renteria:
... All his farm workers. You got to give it up to a guy that to me, that ma- that meant a lot. That meant a lot.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. He was a great guy. I mean, who-
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah.
Doug Shafer:
... Got, uh, we have big shoes to fill, you and I.
Oscar Renteria:
Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Doug Shafer:
And all the ones following us. So, off we go.
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. No, for sure. For sure. But the Napa Valley Farm Workers Foundation and what they do is, is awesome. My wife and I, sorry that, uh, the Truchards, John and Michele Truchard and my wife and I are the co-chairs of STOMP, which it, it, which will be at the end of August here on the 28th. (laughs) Little plug.
Doug Shafer:
Right.
Oscar Renteria:
For, uh, and we've got our Fund A Need that I'll be presenting in the video and it's always a tearjerker.
Doug Shafer:
(laughs)
Oscar Renteria:
Um, but it's an oper- opportunity for all of us to, to stand up and, and, you know, and, uh, and, uh, show that we care and do the right thing.
Doug Shafer:
Dynamite.
Doug Shafer:
And if people want to find your wine, Tres Perlas, Perlas, how would they find that?
Oscar Renteria:
Yeah. Yeah. Tresperlaswines.com. Tresperlas.com. T-R-E-S P-E-R-L-A-S. I say, I spelled it out for you, Doug because I know that Spanish was not your first language.
Doug Shafer:
So bad.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
You know something. I, you know, you are lucky you're not here right now.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
I'm going after you. Tres Perlas. I could never roll my R's.
Oscar Renteria:
(laughs)
Doug Shafer:
That's why I got a B in Spanish.
Oscar Renteria:
Not too bad. Not bad. Me, too.
Doug Shafer:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. (laughing) Me, too. (laughing) Oscar Renteria, thank you so much for taking this time. I know that harvest is just starting. So, I do appreciate it because I know you're busy chasing grapes and forklifts and tractors and light stands and all that stuff.
Oscar Renteria:
Thank you big time, brother. I appreciate it. You take care.
Doug Shafer:
I will.
Oscar Renteria:
Thank you.
Doug Shafer:
I'll see you on the road. Be good.
Oscar Renteria:
All right, man. Okay. Take care. Bye-bye.
Doug Shafer:
Thanks. Bye.