Aaron Jackson of Aaron Wines helps us navigate the choppy seas of Petite Sirah. Still nursing a couple of broken ribs earned surfing on the rough waters near his scenic home and vineyard, Aaron illuminates the Paso Robles experience (by way of Australia) that has colored the operation of his label.

Petite Sirah and secret surf spots seem to have more in common than we ever could have imagined. Growing up in Cayucos, California offered our guest, Aaron Jackson, a unique opportunity to experience the central coast winemaking region first hand and at an early age. Perhaps being introduced to the art when he was, the lush, deep, dark and overtly concentrated make up of Petite Sirah was able to capture Aaron’s attention. Being an avid surfer has always kept Aaron near the coast even as he pursued his masters in oenology at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. The idea of harnessing the power of nature seems to connect surfing and making Petite Sirah for Aaron and he seems to have mastered both, in spite of him showing up to tape our show with two broken ribs from a recent hard fall in the water.

Today we explore this fascinating alternative to the usual suspects that we seem to be drawn to when looking for our next wine. Aaron’s motto is “Go big or go home,” and he makes two different wines to help represent his personality: His “Aaron” label is his flagship wine and his “Swell” label represents an everyday alternative. Aaron only makes 600 cases of his wine, yet he already has a strong following which drinks up each new vintage released.