By Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer | Photos by Viktor Budnik
Oh, wine. Delicious, dynamic and more than a touch mercurial. Every drop reflects a long journey from concept to consumption: the soil in which it was grown, the seasons it lived through, the hands that nurtured, harvested and pressed it. A living thing, wine continues to evolve in the bottle and out. No wonder it has such power to beguile and inspire.
Natalie Albertson has long been under wine’s spell. Now, she’s a magician in her own right with Wildflower Winery. The Ventura-based boutique winery specializes in low-intervention wines, made with ancestral methods, native yeast and a relatively short élevage. Most of her wines are bottled within a year, resulting in a young and lively product that stands out from its longer-aged and more robust counterparts.
“That’s my style: light and fresh,” Albertson confirmed.
Under the Sicilian Sun
Like many of today’s winemakers, Albertson was captivated by wine long before she started making it. She recalled visiting Paso Robles in her 20s, sampling a variety of vintages and joining a wine club — Tablas Creek, known for its regenerative organic growing style.
(“They’re a gateway,” Albertson said with a laugh.) Later, when her husband’s job took them to San Diego, Temecula became their tasting grounds.
But it was a move to Italy that truly solidified her career path.
Albertson and her family (including son Cooper, now 11) lived in Sicily for four and a half years, having daughter Poppy, now 9, during that time. In Italy Albertson discovered wines made using ancestral techniques, more natural and lower intervention. The opportunity to connect with the winemakers themselves only fueled her growing interest.
“That just kind of opened my eyes to how different wine can be,” she recalled. “Wines that we had before in California tasted completely different in Sicily and those Old World places.”
In 2019, Albertson went to Milan to earn her Level 1 WSET certification, a qualification bestowed by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust that demonstrates a person’s knowledge of wine, spirits, beer and sake. After relocating to Ventura in early 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic soon to follow, Albertson decided to use that time to pursue her passion.
“I took it as an opportunity to explore the wine world and see where I could fit,” she said.
Old World techniques in a modern setting
She picked up her WSET Level II, and dove into the deep end of winemaking. She started an online winemaking program through the University of California, Davis that fall, and made her very first vintage.
“I went kind of hardcore,” said Albertson. “I did a chardonnay pét-nat.”
Pét-nat is short for pétillant naturel, which in French means “naturally sparkling.” The method predates that used in Champagne, and it’s growing in popularity in the United States. Instead of going through a second fermentation to produce bubbles, pét-nat is simply bottled before the first fermentation is complete. The result is a light, fizzy product bottled with a crown cap (like that used for beer) rather than the cage and cork typical of sparkling wines.
It took Albertson two and a half years to complete the winemaking certification program. And in that time, in addition to her pét-nat, she also made a viognier, a rose of grenache, a carbonic grenache (a technique she learned from a Sicilian winemaker) and a syrah. To make the wine, she rented space from another winemaker and used their equipment.
She started selling her wine shortly after receiving her certification. She started with local wine bars and wine shops, like Paradise Pantry. Frontside Cafe hosted a wine dinner featuring Wildflower Winery’s offerings. She also provided wine to restaurants (Pinyon in Ojai, The Little Lion in Ventura) in five-gallon kegs (that’s about 26 bottles). Kegged wines usually stay fresh for months.
“There’s also a sustainability aspect,” Albertson explained. “It’s a way to not use labels, corks or glass.”
Joining the Club
In the spring of 2023, she opened up her tasting room on Ventura’s Market Street — a neighborhood known for its collection of wineries and breweries. Wildflower Winery fits right in, offering a light and airy space that suits its light and fresh libations.
Today, Albertson produces about 700 cases every year, spread out across 10-12 wines. Among her offerings are syrah, grenache and sangiovese; viognier and albariño; sparkling chardonnay and the Wild Delight dessert wine. All are created “using ancestral methods with modern technology,” in the winemaker’s words.
“What makes my wines different is the lightness, and low intervention,” she explained. “I use native yeast that comes in on the grapes. Ferment the wines all naturally. Do minimal additions; just sulfur to preserve the wine.”
And because “life is short,” she recommends that her wines be consumed within five years.
She sources grapes from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles counties, and makes a point of getting to know the vineyards and the growers — and to thank them for their work.
“I think it’s part of our ethos altogether. To be cognizant of where our things come from and how they’re made,” she said. “I do minimum or no glyphosate; organic or biodynamic is preferred.”
Among her personal favorites are the chardonnay pét-nat (“I love bubbles”) and a red sparkling called the primitivo. She’s also particularly fond of viognier and sangiovese, and the cider that her husband makes.
While she does wish she could get a little more foot traffic, overall business is good.
“We have a really good wine club,” she said. “We have regulars that come in every weekend. It’s nice having a brick and mortar location, a place for people to come and create a community.”
Wild Days Ahead
There are a few changes in store for Wildflower Winery this year. The big one is an upcoming name change. J. Lohr has a trademark on “Wildflower” as it pertains to wine (the wine giant markets a valdiguié under that name), so Albertson is in the process of rebranding to Native Bloom. The name should be in use later this year.
“We’re native Californians,” she said, noting that she and her husband both grew up in Bakersfield. “I do native fermentation. And I’m a registered Cherokee and work with the Native community here.”
Also on the horizon: The Makers District, to promote the food and beverage industry in and around Market Street.
“We are branding this zone collectively — breweries, wineries, coffee, cideries,” Albertson said. “We all voted on it, we have a logo and it should be launching soon.”
Albertson has some new wines in barrels, too, that she’ll be releasing this year: a tempranillo, a cinsault (once used mainly for blending, now showing up as a single varietal) and Grüner Veltliner, indigenous to Austria.
“I do like bringing in new things, because it’s fun and interesting and I have a wine club, so I want to offer them cool new things. And I got into this because of a passion for experimentation,” she said.
Mostly, though, Albertson loves to make and drink wine, and share her enthusiasm with others. A simple premise, from a vintner who specializes in simply beautiful wines.
“It’s so fun having regulars that have become friends,” she said. “Educating people on wine and low intervention wines and how our wines are different is really fun. I’m good friends with all of the other winemakers in Ventura County. We all make different wines, so it’s really cool.
“I just want to create a cozy environment and make good, clean wines…I want wine to be approachable and fun. It shouldn’t be this elitist thing.”
Wildflower Winery
4517 Market Street, Unit 7, Ventura
805.613.7036
www.wildflowerwineryventura.com
Wildflower Winery offers a wine club with three pickups a year
and four free tastings every month.
For more information, email info@wildflowerwineryventura.com.