By Judy Shields and Valerie Milano
Photos The Hollywood Times
Los Angeles, California (The Hollywood Times) 03/30/2022 – “I’m thrilled to have LOST LA back on the air with the fifth season and we’re looking forward to more. Getting to pick grapes from the oldest vines in Los Angeles, almost 200 years old, was so exciting. Learning about the deep and complicated history of winemaking in California has really come full circle these days with many incredibly talented indigenous winemakers in California.” Nathan Masters, Host of LOST LA told The Hollywood Times at the event held Tuesday night at the Angeleno Winery Company.
First of all, it was great to see our KCET friends and to be able to get out once again for an event since 2019. It was truly a great night catching up with KCET LOST LA team, enjoying refreshing wine and delicious appetizers. We learned so much about the history of wine from winemakers and owners of Angeleno Winery Company, Amy Luftig Viste and Jasper Dickson. From early wine making in the downtown LA region, which wine was harvested for mass for the Catholic church and it slowly began to make its way into the population for pleasure and taste. Some of the oldest grapes can be found hanging around at Olvera Street. Amy told the invited guest that wine drinking was for fun and they enjoy making wine and selling it for all Angelenos and for anyone else out there. Their wine is really good stuff. I am by no means a wine person, but do enjoy a good half glass of wine for enjoyment with a meal. You truly have to go visit their winery to taste the different varieties they offer. Great venue to hold any company event too!
It was an excellent venue to host KCET’s LOST LA winemaking episode, which just happened to air this past Saturday. Following the broadcast, each episode will stream at kcet.org/LostLA and pbssocal.org/LostLA and on the free PBS app.
Enjoy the conversation we had with Michael Holland about wine making:
Michael and his wife Anne have a blog at OddBallGrape.com
About LOST LA
“Lost LA” explores the past through the region’s archives, where photos, documents, and other rare artifacts unlock the untold history behind the fantasy of Southern California. Hosted by writer and public historian Nathan Masters of the USC Libraries, each episode of “Lost LA” brings the primary sources of history to the screen in surprising new ways. Much of L.A.’s past is lost to history, but through the region’s archives, we can uncover the inspiring dreams and bitter realities that built the modern-day metropolis.
About Angeleno Winery Company
With a focus on unique varietals, Angeleno Wine Co. aims to push the boundaries of what Southern California wine growing can be. Tannat, Graciano, Godello, Loureiro, Treixadura and Alicante Bouschet are some of the unique varietals that Angeleno makes into wine every year. Our wines are naturally made and 100% vegan. We strive to make wines that are elegant, balanced and that express Los Angeles’ unique character: a growing region where the desert meets the sea.
Jasper Dickson was born and raised in Sunnyvale, California where his fascination with winemaking was established in his earliest years. His father was a home winemaker who would take Jasper with him to vineyards and wineries. The seeds were sown and Jasper was hooked: the smell of fermenting wine, the vibrant greens of surrounding vineyards. All made an impression that would last a lifetime. Soon after moving to Los Angeles Jasper met Juan Alonso, and the rest is history.
Amy Luftig Viste grew up outside Cincinnati, Ohio and moved steadily west over time, pursuing a career in public policy and health care access. Along the way, Amy became obsessed with wine after volunteering during harvest. She decided that nothing was more fun than cleaning wine barrels, shoveling grapes out of a fermenter, picking fruit in the earliest hours of the day and spending countless sober and not-so-sober moments with the soulful, hard-working types who gravitate towards the winemaking path.
