William Westover Smyth
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When Ione Westover was born in the Castro Valley in 1906, she would have never guessed that eventually her grandson would found a successful winery just mile from that very spot. William never would have thought of it either until he had the opportunity to purchase land in the Castro Valley in 1986. He planted vineyards to improve the beauty and value of the land. Eventually he started selling the grapes to local winemakers. He sold grapes for years before trying his hand at producing wine.
William attended winemaking classes at U.C. Davis, California, but found the class of 50 other novice students to be more tedious than helpful. He sought the assistance of local winemakers Kent Rosenbloom and Thomas Coyne to learn the art and craft of winemaking. Together they built up a skill set for producing highly palatable small lot wines. By 1994, William decided to try to make it on his own, but maintained his old contacts within the winemaking community.
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It can be difficult to find experienced individuals willing to help out in this industry. However, William managed to find exchange students from various wine growing regions around the world to assist him in learning his craft. Students came from South Africa, France, Hungary and Germany to help learn the trade. They would volunteer their services at other wineries as well. When his students returned, they formed a learning circle along with William to share the secrets of creating a great vintage. He slowly built his winery up on direct hands-on experience and the wisdom of those willing to learn with him and from him.
Westover still uses the ideas of other winemakers in the Valley to craft superb wines. William says his best ideas come from friends, customers and other winemakers. Crafting the perfect wine is an art as much as a science. Each varietal is an individual palette, and each vintage a masterpiece. He aims to create wines that he would drink himself. After all, if it's not good enough for the winemaker, how could it possibly be good enough for his customers?
Currently William works on wines that are interesting to him and present a challenge to work with. Avoiding the corporate environment of a large winery allows him as much creative freedom as he wants when working with a varietal or developing a new flavored port. The perpetual student has also once again become the teacher, teaching wine appreciation courses and occasionally taking on new assistants. Winemaking is a social industry, and as long as there are customers and growers' associations, William is in it for the long haul, creating works of art with a touch of whimsy.
Scott Pearson
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Scott Pearson had his interest in the winemaking business back in the 70's while working in the tasting room for Paul Masson. He poured tasting flights and guided tours to earn money for college. While at Masson, he had the opportunity to talk to experienced winemakers who build a business large enough to achieve national distribution. Inspired by his experience at Masson, he and a colleague founded Congress Springs Winery in Saratoga. By that time he had finished college and needed to take some time off from the business.
He never lost his interest and passion for winemaking, and by the mid nineties, was ready to return. He met Bill Smyth at the Livermore Harvest Festival. It was a matter of perfect timing, because Bill was ready to launch his own winery, and needed someone with prior experience with all aspects of winemaking to assist him. He wanted someone with practical, hands on experience when it came to winemaking, and Scott fit the bill perfectly. He began to work at Westover and has been here ever since.
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Westover is known for its small lot boutique wines and winemakers with more "real world" training than classroom experience. Scott is part of this model, having taken classes at San Jose State and UC Davis, but preferring the personal experienced gained from working directly with master winemakers. He honed his craft by working directly with the wines themselves. Scott has assisted in all aspects of the wine business from field work and vineyard maintenance to barrel work to managing the tasting room. His passion for a good wine helps him get through the gritty, daily grind of the hard work and makes him stay and enjoy a glass of a job well done.
Unlike his colleague, Scott considers himself a classicist when it comes to winemaking. He leaves the experimentation to Bill while perfecting the hearty, classic reds you find at Westover Winery. His goal is to make small lot wine that is as good as any you'd find in Napa or any other growing region. He loves the wine and the social atmosphere you find in the business. When not creating the prefect full-bodied, soft tannin red, you can find him in the tasting room and at events around the Valley.
Scott compares being a winemaker in the Livermore Valley to being a brew master in Milwaukee: it's the one profession that garners respect and fascination no matter where he goes. He enjoys working at a small lot winery because it gives him the freedom and control over his work being at a large producer doesn't. As long as he can have his freedom to craft the perfect Cab, Merlot or Zin, we see him sticking around for the long haul.