Blake Makes

What better way to launch Blake’s new wine/beverage blog than to take you through the process of actually making wine? Well… that is exactly what I intend to do! I’m a PhD student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology who is taking some time off from my research this fall to work at an ultra-premeire winery in Napa Valley. I’m pretty sure I can’t tell you where I’m working, otherwise I might be accused of divulging trade-secrets, but rest assured these guys know exactly what they are doing (and hopefully soon so will I).

You might wonder why I might be interested in doing something like this? I’m originally from a small town in Louisiana and food has played an important role in my relationship with my culture and my family. I have three important gustatory memories: the first was when my grandfather, Papa, taught me how to make cornbread. I remember not being tall enough to reach the counter, so I was standing on a chair over an old gas stove heating oil and butter in a cast iron skillet. I clearly remember the sound of the batter and oil exploding as I poured it into the skillet. It was so much fun watching for a crust to begin to form around the edges before putting into the oven. I had never before eaten corn bread as good as the corn bread I made on that day (and possible have not since)! In a way, this is also one of my first experiences with chemistry as well, although I would not have been sophisticated enough in my thoughts to have made the connection at the time.

My second memory was several years later at the same stove where my godfather taught me how to make scrabbled eggs for the entire family on Christmas morning. Using the same skillet, here the lesson was patience, patience, patience! Don’t stir the eggs until precisely the right time!

My third memory was with my great-grandmother in her home town of Mamou, LA. We walked into a very small grocery store and butcher’s shop, where for the first time, I heard my great-grandmother speaking in Cajun French. The language was foreign to me as she had raised all of her children to speak only English so as to avoid what was, at that time, widespread discrimination of people of Cajun heritage in Louisiana. I remember pressing my face against the glass of the meat counter and pointing at strange looking sausages and meats and asking what they were. This was where, for the first time, I tasted boudin (more posts on this later)- which my dad sells in our family’s restaurant.

In short, I’ve had a long and passionate relationship with science and food, and winemaking (and beer brewing) brings these two together. So, I hope you’ll be interested in joining me as I learn more about the wine industry and the science of winemaking over the next few months as I experience my first crush.

Jason is a PhD student in Biochemistry in Northern California who is taking some time off to work at a premiere winery in Napa Valley. He is originally from a small town in Louisiana, where he went to high school with both Blake and Bridget. When he isn’t experimenting in the lab, the kitchen or the garage (where he brews his own beer), he enjoys spending time with his fiancée, Claire, and his dog, Gus. A cat can be found in his house, but his official policy is that the cat does not exist. He is also, inexplicably and irrationally, afraid of sharks.