The 23-acre vineyard is situated between the 1,650-foot and 1,900-foot elevation on the slopes of Haleakala. MAUIWINE photo
MauiWine has come a long way since it took root under a different name at Ulupalakua Ranch on Haleakala in 1974.
Formerly known as Tedeschi Vineyards, it produced only pineapple wine sought after as novelty souvenirs by tourists who made the scenic drive up the mountain.
Its first unusual Carnelian grapes were harvested in 1981 and became Maui Brut Blanc de Noir Traditional Methode sparkling wine.
These days, MauiWine is an Upcountry mecca for more than 100,000 wine lovers annually who come to taste the available varietals and buy new syrah, viognier and grenache as well as drink in the historic property with the magnificent trees and grounds.
The Old Jail is now open for exclusive tours and tastings. MAUIWINE photo
President Paula Hegele has hired a new winemaker and he regaled listeners at the recent Son’z at Swan Court dinner in Kaanapali with his background that includes living in Tanzania, creating a rock-star wine line for Mendocino Wine Co. and work at other vineyards. Mark Beaman is his name.
Hegele will also present the Vino & Vinyasa yoga event at 9 a.m. Saturday followed by a wine tasting and shopping with Maui pop-up shops.
In January, she reopened the History Room in King David Kalakaua’s former cottage on property that also houses the Tasting Room.
“We are heading towards an exciting future, and Mark is here to help us design incredible wines and expand our production,” says Hegele.
“His strong background in agriculture, science and hands-on working experience from the vineyard to the finished bottle are the skills we need to evolve and continue our journey in managing a successful vineyard and crafting the best wines we can to reflect our island,” she continues
Reda Boustani will lead the Vino & Vinyasa event this Saturday. MAUIWINE photo
According to his biography, Beaman’s winemaking ascent began in Washington State at Columbia Crest Winery and he went on to Villa Mt. Eden and Conn Creek Winery of Napa, then to Mendocino Wine Co. as an enologist and eventually became associate winemaker there.
“Beaman has crafted multiple wines with ratings of 90 plus points by Wine Enthusiast and numerous gold medals,” states the bio.
Mendocino Wine Co. is the above-mentioned force behind the Wines That Rock line for legendary bands.
“I crafted wines for famous rock bands including Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, The Police and Rolling Stones,” he says. “A favorite partnership was with the Fifty Shades of Grey author, E.L. James.”
The rock-star wines ranged from Synchronicity Red Blend for the Police, the reserve 50th anniversary cabernet for the Grateful Dead and a merlot for the Rolling Stones with rock’s most famous tongue featured on the label.
King David Kalakaua’s former isle cottage houses the tasting room and a revamped History Room. MAUIWINE photo
“I created the Woodstock wines and ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ for Pink Floyd,” he says. “I listen to that all of the time. I wanted to do the Wall wines, but Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters wasn’t into it.”
Beaman explains that he was inspired with parallels between his wines and the music.
“It’s the common language between wine and music. Is it soft and soothing? Or jarring or loud?” he asks “It was a very unique winemaking approach and I had to send samples to the band and the managers. It was about where the music took the wine.”
Beaman says he got his ag chops growing up in a small town among only 11 students in his high school graduating class in Touchet, Washington. He rode a tractor, raised cattle and also grew wheat, alfalfa and other crops.
“I got my bachelor’s degree in geology and environmental studies at Whitman College in Washington, and joined the Peace Corps.
New winemaker Mark Beaman hails from a rock-star wine background. MAUIWINE photo
“I joined the Peace Corps in 1997 and the phone call came and it was either Guatemala or Tanzania,” he says. “I learned Swahili and got shots before I moved there. They sent me to a very remote village, remote even for Tanzania. It had no running water or electricity. We cooked everything with charcoal and got our water in buckets from about a mile or so away. It was quite a trek. I began to notice it was mostly children sent to get water and it was in the middle of the school day.”
So Beaman got the village inspired to get a grant from a philanthropy organization for funding to supply a water pipeline.
“Every man above the age of 12 had to help hand dig a trench at least four-feet deep,” he remembers. “When we came across a boulder we had to lever it out. We built a water catchment system and ran the pipeline down and by the end of my two years it had all been completed.”
During Beaman’s time there, he established a tree nursery and an arbor day for the kids and he increased the villagers’ confidence levels by providing skill sets.
As for Maui, Beaman arrived in early December with his wife and two young boys ages 4 and 6.
“Since I grew up on a cattle ranch, I like my kids growing up on Maui in an agricultural ranch environment.”
He’s pumped about bottling the gewurztraminer next week, but it will be the smallest batch of the varietals.
“We’ll only have about four cases,” he admits. “But we have six varieties and the viognier is absolutely wonderful. We do a rose that typically is a majority of syrah and it’s bolstered up with saignee, a French technique to crush and destem the grapes and bleed off some of the juice and take that juice and add it to the rose.”
“We’ve just bottled the 2016 estate whites yesterday and will probably be bottling the estate reds next week.”
Overall, Beaman says that MauiWine is in the thick of an exciting winemaking period.
“The vines are mature having found their footing just as the vineyard crew achieves an incredible level of awareness of the unique needs and cycles of the vineyard. The combination of the vines’ balance with the soil and the efficiency and skill of the workers indicate that the best is yet to come. The cellar and lab have many harvests’ experience to draw from making for an outstanding all-around team. I am incredibly grateful to be part of this team.”
Coming up on this week’s MauiWine calendar is Vino & Vinyasa, the event previously mentioned on C1. Even more events are on the agenda.
“We will celebrate World Malbec Day on April 17, and National Wine Day May 25,” he says. “International Rose Day on Aug. 14 as well as International Grenache Day on September 15. And we’ll also participate in the Maui County Agricultural Festival on April 1 at Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu. But it’s wine day every day at my house.”
“When you smell and taste wine, it’s nostalgic, triggering feelings of returning back to a time, a memory or a place. I want people to travel to Maui with our wines,” he concludes. “From sweet golden pineapples grown in Haliimaile to the six varietals fed by volcanic soil at Ulupalakua Vineyards, I want you to experience the vibrancy of Maui with each bottle.”
* Carla Tracy can be reached at carlatracy@mauinews.com.
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MauiWine fast facts at a glance
• Location: 14815 Piilani Highway about six miles past Keokea on the back road to Hana on the grounds of Ulupalakua Ranch.
• History Room: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The public may view photos, journals, periodicals and Ulupalakua milestones from 1841 to the present. Free and open to the public. Reservations required for groups of 10 or more.
• The King’s Visit: In-depth look of MauiWine offered in the Old Jail at 3:30 p.m. Thursdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays for $50 per person. Groups may book other times.
• MauiWine tours: Free historical tours of the estate and cellar are at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily.
• Wine collections: Maui Blanc, Maui Splash and Hula O Maui are all made from 100-percent Maui-grown pineapples; Rose Ranch has Mele, Lokelani and Mele blends that pay tribute to the destination: Ulupalakua Vineyards boasts syrah, grenache, malbec, rose, viognier, chenin blanc and gewurztraminer varietals and wines.
• Vino & Vinyasa: Stretch it out at 9 a.m. Saturday with a yoga class in the fields by Reda Boustani, followed by a tasting of wines and pop-up shops Mohiku active wear, Lula Rae and Little Beach Shack. Cost is $25 per person.
• The players: Paula Hegele is the longtime MauiWine president; Mark Beaman is its new winemaker; Larry Bradley of Vallejo, Calif., just south of Napa is the viticultural consultant; and Joe Hegele is director of sales and marketing.
• For more details: Call 878-6058 or visit www.mauiwine.com.
MauiWine Sales & Marketing Director Joe Hegele (left) and new winemaker Mark Beaman (right) flank Tri-Star Restaurant Group’s Director of Operations Don Abernathy a recent winemaker dinner at the newly remodeled Son’z at Swan Court in Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa. The Maui News / CARLA TRACY photo
MauiWine president Paula Hegele oversees the winery and vineyard operation that’s located on Ulupalakua Ranch on the slopes of Haleakala. MauiWine photo
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