Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Katelyn McPherson: You know, my grandfather thought, you know, why don't we make some wine? You know, that's chemistry right there. They, they started making wine in the basement of the chemistry department.
[00:00:08] Taylor McAlpine: Hey, y', all, it's Taylor McAlpine with local LBK and the in Good Company podcast. We're about to have a conversation with my friend Caitlin McPherson from McPherson Sellers over here at the Mercedes Benz dealership. We're excited to explore this conversation of how does a three generation family business continue navigate. When markets change, industries shift.
[00:00:27] Katelyn McPherson: And.
[00:00:27] Taylor McAlpine: And as they as a family were pioneers in even creating the industry here in West Texas. So come along, join the story. And remember, when you're with local upkeep, you're always in good company.
Morning, Caitlin.
[00:00:45] Katelyn McPherson: Good morning.
[00:00:46] Taylor McAlpine: How are you?
[00:00:47] Katelyn McPherson: I'm good, Taylor. How are you?
[00:00:48] Taylor McAlpine: Doing well. Thanks for joining us on the In Good Company podcast.
[00:00:51] Katelyn McPherson: Hey, I'm happy to be here.
[00:00:52] Taylor McAlpine: 12 11.
This episode's brought by Mercedes. And so we are driving around in their G. It is an exciting car to be in.
[00:00:59] Katelyn McPherson: It's pretty nice. Pretty nice.
[00:01:01] Taylor McAlpine: And the fun thing is I never know how to start these cars, so I figured it out beforehand on this one.
[00:01:05] Katelyn McPherson: Oh, that's good. Yeah.
[00:01:07] Taylor McAlpine: So last time I had to do a double take.
So what you been doing today?
[00:01:11] Katelyn McPherson: We're doing the loop. Oh, you know, just getting ready for the works. Getting ready for the winery. Winery works.
[00:01:19] Taylor McAlpine: Such thing as a normal day at the winery?
[00:01:21] Katelyn McPherson: Honestly, no, it's always different, which is kind of nice. You know, the monotony never happens here, so it's pretty great.
Gotta be thankful for that.
[00:01:30] Taylor McAlpine: Oh, for sure. I personally like jobs when they don't have the same thing every day. And so I like the variety.
[00:01:35] Katelyn McPherson: I mean, I worked for the postal service and it was basically the same thing every day, sort of.
So. Yeah.
[00:01:42] Taylor McAlpine: What'd you do with the postal service?
[00:01:44] Katelyn McPherson: I was a mail carrier for a lot. Second. Yeah, about six months of my life.
[00:01:47] Taylor McAlpine: Get your steps in.
[00:01:48] Katelyn McPherson: I did. Hardest job I've ever worked and I have, I have mad respect for those people. So if you have a mail carrier that you like, say hello, take care of them, ask them how they're doing. Yeah, Take care of them.
[00:01:58] Taylor McAlpine: Give them bottle water.
[00:02:00] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah.
[00:02:01] Taylor McAlpine: I've got some friends that like to leave like bottles of water or snacks out for them and stuff.
[00:02:04] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, I love that. That was honestly like such a lifesaver and I too love to do that. It's great.
[00:02:10] Taylor McAlpine: Where'd you do it here in town?
[00:02:11] Katelyn McPherson: San Antonio.
[00:02:12] Taylor McAlpine: Okay.
[00:02:13] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah. Moved back in 2024.
Have been back.
Met my husband there, and I knew I was always gonna come back. That's why I left in the first place. Because with my parents and their businesses, I. I just figured, okay, out of the two of us sisters, she ain't coming back.
So I'm probably going to come back. So I need to leave and go explore before.
[00:02:37] Taylor McAlpine: Get in while you can.
[00:02:38] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm back in Lubbock, But I've always appreciated Lubbock. You know, I know it's got its. It's got its flaws, but I see the beauty in it.
[00:02:47] Taylor McAlpine: So you know the gym of West Texas? Huh? The gym of West Texas.
[00:02:51] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah. Totally. The gem of West Texas.
[00:02:54] Taylor McAlpine: For those who haven't gotten to meet you yet, who are you? Who is Caitlin?
[00:02:57] Katelyn McPherson: Well, I'm Caitlin McPherson.
I'm a Lubbock local, born and raised.
My parents are Kim McPherson and Sylvia McPherson, owners of McPherson Sellers Winery and Ladios Estelle Sellers restaurant.
I would say.
[00:03:13] Taylor McAlpine: Right across the street from each other.
[00:03:14] Katelyn McPherson: Yep, they're right across the street from each other. Pretty great. Ladiosa was there first.
[00:03:18] Taylor McAlpine: Was it really?
[00:03:18] Katelyn McPherson: It was. And then it just happened to be where the Coca Cola bottling factory was. It was empty for a really long time.
And so it was just kind of like, perfect timing when my dad worked for Caprock Winery for a little over 20 years, 20 something years, and he was the winemaker there, and they were ready to move on with someone else. And it was kind of perfect timing because he wanted to move on himself and do his own thing and start his own winery, which was kind of always his passion and dream, so.
[00:03:48] Taylor McAlpine: Okay. But this was not new territory for Yalls family.
A lot of people recognize y' all as the pioneers of West Texas wine.
[00:03:54] Katelyn McPherson: Yes.
[00:03:54] Taylor McAlpine: So let's go back to Doc.
[00:03:56] Katelyn McPherson: Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So really cool story. My grandfather, he. Him and Bob Reed are definitely known as the wine Texas pioneers for Texas winemaking and the wine industry.
It all started in the Texas Tech. They were both professors at Tech. Bob Reed was a horticulture professor, and my grandfather was the chemistry professor. And they were good friends, and they needed to do a research project. And, you know, my grandfather thought, you know, why don't we make some wine? You know, that's chemistry right there. So they got some grapes, I think, at Tech, honestly.
And they.
[00:04:36] Taylor McAlpine: So there were already grapes here?
[00:04:38] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, there were already grapes here, and they were experimenting with, you know, which varietals worked well here. And, you know, back then, this was in the 60s, like, Lubbock's weather was pretty moderate, and it was actually cooler. So certain varietals worked better here, like Cab Sauv and Sauvignon Blanc, which do not work here now. It's two too hot.
So anyhow, yeah, they. They started making wine in the basement of the chemistry department. And from what I understand, Texas Tech had just built the new chemistry to building, and they had this whole lab basement, which I've been down there. It's really cool. It's a whole basement of labs, and they were all empty. And they just let him pick a lab and he started making wine down there.
[00:05:21] Taylor McAlpine: No way.
[00:05:21] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, there's actually still some equipment down there that we honestly should collect because it's pretty, like, historic.
[00:05:28] Taylor McAlpine: But, yeah, you know, if there's any wine salage in down there.
[00:05:32] Katelyn McPherson: Oh, probably not. Probably not.
Yeah. Pretty fun. He was part of the Saddle Tramps, too, and I think he always had, like, a, you know, passion for kind of experimenting and making things.
I. And we ended up, my husband and I, buying their house. When we moved back, it was up for grabs.
My grandmother had passed away. My uncles were like, you know, you're. You're getting married and you're probably going to move back. You should look into buying the house. We'll sell it to you.
And so, yeah, we're. We're in it to win it for the long haul with this house. It's got some really good bones and cool history. But he ended up making hooch in our garage for the Saddle Tramps.
[00:06:12] Taylor McAlpine: Like, oh, my gosh.
[00:06:13] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah. And then later, like, of course, after, you know, the hooch fun times, he decided to kind of experiment making wine.
[00:06:21] Taylor McAlpine: And because Lic was a dry county.
[00:06:23] Katelyn McPherson: It was.
[00:06:23] Taylor McAlpine: And so this is probably an interesting time for all that.
[00:06:26] Katelyn McPherson: It really was. Yeah. So, you know, b. Lugging a little bit, but, hey, you know, we had to get by somehow. So he experimented with making wine, and I think he was like, wow, you know, this is actually something I might want to do, you know, and then I think he had some friends or something possibly give him the idea, like, you should make a winery. You know, Know, you should create a winery and do that. And so he did.
He first, he bought some land with Bob Reed. They. They split it and they bought some land, and that's actually now going to be historical marker, and it's our current vineyard, and it's called Sagmore Vineyards.
And so they, you know, planted some varieties out there, some including Cab. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. And a bunch of others later in the 80s, he planted Sangiovese, which is our flagship grape, because it just worked so well here.
[00:07:19] Taylor McAlpine: Okay.
[00:07:20] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah. So I lost my train of thought, my add.
[00:07:26] Taylor McAlpine: He was getting ready to start the winery, and so they bought this land together.
[00:07:29] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, so they bought this land together. And this woman.
Oh, gosh, I always forget her name. She was a San Antonian oil family. Oh, gosh, Jean Dorn.
I'm probably not saying that. Right. Anyway, she overheard, like, through the grapevine, heard about this, and was so entranced by the idea that she gave them $50,000 to start Jano Estacado.
[00:07:55] Taylor McAlpine: Oh, my gosh.
[00:07:55] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah.
[00:07:56] Taylor McAlpine: Okay.
[00:07:56] Katelyn McPherson: So, yeah, they used that money to open Llano Estacado, and that's, like, kind of how they started. And they might correct me on this. I don't know if I have the history right. I have, like, five different versions of this story. So I apologize if anything's wr.
[00:08:10] Taylor McAlpine: Well, that's the local lore. Yeah, that's how it goes.
[00:08:11] Katelyn McPherson: It totally is. Yeah. It's pretty great.
So, yeah, it's kind of. How.
[00:08:15] Taylor McAlpine: So Yano was the first.
[00:08:16] Katelyn McPherson: Yano was the first. Yeah. It's not the first winery in Texas. There's one down in, like, it's near San Antonio or. And it's definitely down there. That's like the officially first winery. But this was, like, the start of, like, the Texas wine industry, so to speak. Like, kind of opened all those doors for everyone. And cotton farmers started planting grapes because it was just banging off, you know, over the years, it just started to be like, wow, this is actually probably. It's less expensive, way less water.
You know, vines like to suffer a little bit. And Lubbock. Lubbock likes to do that with the weather. It kind of gives some, you know, variety in the. In the heat and all that good stuff. So.
[00:08:59] Taylor McAlpine: So what. What was the timeline around that of they started doing the Winemaking in the 60s?
[00:09:03] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it kind of from there went into that. And then in the 80s, he planted. I feel like it was like in the 70s is when Jano Estacado opened. It's like late mid to late 70s.
Sorry. Not. Not fact checking myself. And then in the 80s, he did go up to Napa and there were some, like, French.
Like, they were from the vines of France that were Sangiovese vines. And they. And he got.
I'm trying to think of the word that it's called, but he got a small vine, a cutting, so to speak, from those vines up at Napa. And he came down here and planted them.
[00:09:44] Taylor McAlpine: Okay.
[00:09:45] Katelyn McPherson: And that's where we found out. Sang like it's. It loves it here. Loves it here.
[00:09:50] Taylor McAlpine: It's the rivan.
[00:09:51] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, my. My dad, he's been in the wine industry for a long time. He too got into it, him and his younger brother. There's three brothers, and he's the middle. And then the youngest brother, my Uncle John, got into it as well. And he actually helps make some of our stuff, like in the means of, like, our sparkling wine gets made in house. But then we send the juice, like, we send the wine over to him to California, and he bottles it for us and it's. He turns it into a sparkling wine. Because that's kind of like. Honestly, that's his shtick and like his.
[00:10:22] Taylor McAlpine: That's his special gift.
[00:10:23] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, totally. I mean, he's great at making all wine, but yeah, his sparkling wine's just outstanding. So. Yeah. And then he sends it back, so it's kind of cool. Like, it gets touched by both brothers and like, kind of like all the family gets into it.
[00:10:35] Taylor McAlpine: How did it get from grandpa to your dad? How did that family involvement pass?
[00:10:42] Katelyn McPherson: Well, so I think just my dad, you know, saw my grandfather, you know, at tech and doing all this stuff, and he thought, you know, this is cool. I want to get into it. And he majored.
[00:10:54] Taylor McAlpine: Just what dad did, kind of thing.
[00:10:55] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so he majored first in food sciences. That's what he graduated with.
And then he ended up going to UC Davis and got his viticulture and enology.
You know, really? Enology, I would say. I'm sure he got some viticulture classes as well, but mostly enology at UC Davis.
Major and, you know, graduated from UC Davis and he worked at Trefethen Winery in Napa for a good minute. He was an intern there and learned a lot. I think he wanted to stay back, but my grandfather asked him to come back.
[00:11:27] Taylor McAlpine: Okay.
[00:11:28] Katelyn McPherson: And so he did. He came back and he worked at Yano Estacado with him for a little bit.
And I think, you know, just after a while, after, you know, several. After Jano, he like, went and moved and did other things. And yeah, he ended up working at Caprock for 20 something years. And then now we have McPherson.
[00:11:48] Taylor McAlpine: Love it. When did Caprock come on on scene? Do you remember?
[00:11:51] Katelyn McPherson: Oh, gosh, I feel like it was in the 1990. 1991.
Around the time of my birth. Yeah.
[00:11:59] Taylor McAlpine: So I have 90s baby.
[00:12:01] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, totally. 90s baby. I have core memories of going to work with him and, like, helping with winery stuff.
I would help bottle as a kid. You know, I've just kind of always been around the winery.
So it. It doesn't surprise me that I came back and wanted to be back in it, so. Well.
[00:12:21] Taylor McAlpine: And that's a perfect segue into, how does your story get involved? You grew up around it. Did you have a choice to be involved? Have you gotten to do what you've wanted to do?
[00:12:28] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah. My parents have always been really great about letting us kind of find ourselves. And I majored in art at tech.
I would say I'm an artist. I kind of do all sorts of things. I was a florist for a while.
I once got the highest compliment I've ever been given. I'm a Renaissance woman, which I'm still like, wow, that's amazing. I just kind of do it all.
I don't like to be put in a box. So when it comes to the wine thing, I kind of always have had wine in my family and in my life, and I love it. I've taken courses to kind of learn more about it.
My sister's a sommelier, so, you know, she's definitely much more in it than I am. I kind of took the route of my mom and went more into interior design and the love of that art. But, yeah, it was kind of one of those things where it was, you know, serendipitous. We were moving back. We just. We got married in 24 earlier that year, and we wanted to move back to Lubbock. And the house was available, so we were going to buy it from the family.
And I needed a job. I was gonna possibly go back into work. I worked at a show, interior design showroom, before I had left San Antonio. And so I was gonna possibly look into what Lubbock's options were.
And my dad calls me up and says, hey, I actually need an event manager.
I know if you don't wanna do it, you can say no, but I'd really love it if you'd come work for us and get back into the family biz.
I say that cause I worked for Latiosa for a good five years.
I got fired twice and rehired twice. You know, the family biz.
[00:14:03] Taylor McAlpine: Love it.
[00:14:04] Katelyn McPherson: Pretty great.
So loved it. I loved Latiosa working at Laudiosa. Great memories there.
So, yeah, I was like, yeah, I'll do it. I'll take it on. I've never done such a thing, but I'll learn And go. And honestly, I've been loving it. I've learned a lot, and it's been a lot of fun. And coordinating weddings is a really good time.
I've hosted several. And, yeah, it's really fun, so. And I'll host events at McPherson for McPherson and kind of lets my creative brain go and, like, kind of decide, like, what kind of events we want
[00:14:36] Taylor McAlpine: to host, because Yalls wine dinners for your wine club members. They're phenomenal. So y' all do all sorts of spreads, bringing all sorts of entertainment, so that's the work you get to help with.
[00:14:44] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, it's really fun. Yeah. And I've changed some things up to make it easier for our staff and for, you know, our clients that come. So hopefully, the changes that I've made, you know, it's been enjoyed. But, yeah, it's been a lot of fun. I enjoy it. It's fun to. It's fun to work with my dad. You know, it's a good time. So. Yeah.
[00:15:04] Taylor McAlpine: What is that like of balancing he's dad, but. And also boss, but also friend. And so.
[00:15:09] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong, sometimes it gets a little heated, as it should. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's pretty great. But we're pretty similar in personality, so I feel like we just kind of get past it pretty quick and move on. You know, he hears me out. I am. I know that they both trust my opinion in certain degree. So, yeah, I just kind of put it out there, and most of the time, it gets heard and changed, you know?
[00:15:35] Taylor McAlpine: So what are some of the changes that you've implemented?
[00:15:40] Katelyn McPherson: I mean, I guess, like, I.
I don't know.
The way we. The way we possibly, like, process, like, front of house. Like, I. I hated the water glasses. They weren't stackable. And these, you know, our tasting room associates were having such a hard time, and I'm like, we need to make this easier. So I. I changed the glassware, and it's, like, kind of funky and cool, and it, like, adds to the flair of McPherson's esthetic.
I don't know. I changed to the Block series, where it's more freedom in how you enjoy and taste the wines. It's more up to the, you know, guest being able to pour at their leisure versus us pouring over them every single time.
I don't know, like, little. It's. It's more like little things that I've changed, but I feel like in the long run, it's, like, better for everyone involved, so I don't know.
[00:16:31] Taylor McAlpine: Even small changes like that, it's different than you used to. And so it is transition and sometimes people have a hard time with it.
[00:16:37] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, totally, totally, totally. So.
[00:16:39] Taylor McAlpine: But they've given you freedom and experimenting, trying new things.
[00:16:42] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, they totally have. And it's. Yeah, it's been fun. I. I do enjoy it and it's, it's one of those jobs that, you know, I still have the freedom to do my hobbies outside of work and, you know, I get to enjoy time with family and friends. So it's not so demanding.
[00:17:00] Taylor McAlpine: It's not all consuming.
[00:17:01] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, it's not all consuming. Yeah, for sure.
Wine and wine's great. I love working with wine. I always tell our tasting or associates, you know, when people come in, like it's an experience.
I don't ever want it to feel like it's too, like it's overly prestigious or like unapproachable. You know, we don't want that.
Wine is supposed to be enjoyed at any time, at all times with anyone. You don't have to know anything about wine and you can still enjoy it.
I'll never forget I was in a WSET class. I was taking WSET 1 and what are those WSET? It is the.
Oh gosh. Wine and Spirits educational.
T W set.
[00:17:50] Taylor McAlpine: Is this different than the sommelier?
[00:17:52] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, it's different than sommelier. Yes. What W set does, is it. And it does do like spin spirits and it does like psalm.
It does touch all those things, but it's more like specific and it's really so like with wine, I feel like the Somme, it's more hospitality based as well. So you're learning how to like serve the wines and, and you're, you're getting to know truly all the wines in the regions. It's extremely hard. WSEC does the same thing. I just feel like it's truly more specific to just wine versus having to learn how to pour it and all that good stuff. So I mean, you still learn those things. I just think from what I understand, it's more product. Yeah.
So I think the further along you go into W set, it does do the same things as SOM where you're having to like serve it and service and theory and all that good stuff. But I, I'm not, not interested.
[00:18:46] Taylor McAlpine: I'm.
[00:18:46] Katelyn McPherson: I'm sticking with my W set too and love it. I love it.
Yeah.
So, yeah, I was in this class and they were pouring a Chianti. I'm trying to remember where it was from.
It was so lovely and like, the moment I smelled it, it took me to a childhood memory of being at my late uncle's house in Scottsdale. It smelled like the house and like, I know it sounds weird, but it was so lovely. And I felt I was like, revisiting him and those memories as a kid that I just had, like, core memories there and loved it so much, those visits to. To Scottsdale.
[00:19:23] Taylor McAlpine: And so it's fascinating how associations with food or drink can do that.
[00:19:27] Katelyn McPherson: Right?
[00:19:27] Taylor McAlpine: So it'll take you back.
[00:19:28] Katelyn McPherson: Totally. And like, wine does that. Wine totally does that.
And I think, like, everywhere else, you know, they treat wine like an everyday, you know, it's like water over there, you know, And I think, you know, I think sadly, sometimes wine has just become such a. Like, it's almost so intimidating that people just don't approach it. They would rather just not.
Or it's too dry for them. Like, it's like the bitterness and the taste just doesn't, you know, it's not approachable. And I. I think with us, I like to like, have them come in. We only have one sweet option, but I'm like, start there and then continue on. Just try it. Just see how you just see where it goes. Try it with food, you know, it might. Maybe you just drink wine with food, you know, So I just always try to make it seem more open and friendly and it's just sadly showing how
[00:20:22] Taylor McAlpine: accessible it can be.
[00:20:23] Katelyn McPherson: Totally. Yeah. And it's just unfortunate that as of probably the last, like, I'd say four or five years, it's wine industry as a whole, like internationally has gone down.
The demand's not there. People are not drinking as much.
You know, the sober, curious movement is. Is strong, which, honestly, I think that's great. I think that's a wonderful thing. I've partaken it. I am partaking in it right now.
I'm sustaining myself from all that.
But, yeah, I think that wine is truly beautiful. And you don't have to necessarily use it as.
I don't know, I think it's just if you truly just drink it for the experience, have it with family and friends, that's what it's about. That's what it's about. It's not necessarily what you're smelling and what you're tasting.
I do think that's really cool too. I always tell customers as well, I'm like, you might read our tasting notes and literally smell or taste none of that. That's because your palate's different. Every palate is different. It's Gonna. You're gonna taste different things.
One time in W set, I was there, and everyone laughed at me because it wasn't on the tasting notes, but I was smelling coconut sunscreen.
[00:21:33] Taylor McAlpine: Oh, yeah.
[00:21:34] Katelyn McPherson: That smells like Heb's coconut sunscreen. And they're like, that's not on the list.
[00:21:38] Taylor McAlpine: That's your San Antonio showing.
[00:21:40] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're like, what are you doing to me? And I'm like, I don't know. I'm just smelling what I' I'm smelling. I smell all sorts of things. And my husband, who's certified some, he's like. He's always telling me, you know, you're not necessarily wrong, though. You know, you could be smelling that, but you're not. What's happening is you're not labeling it correctly. It could be you're smelling coconut sunscreen. That's actually the oak that you're smelling.
[00:22:01] Taylor McAlpine: That is your internal association.
[00:22:04] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just always joke, like, I just don't have the right Rolodex, you know, in my brain. But, yeah, it's just fun. It's fun to smell wines and taste them and see what you think.
We've hosted a couple of tastings, you know, with our guests, and just to kind of, like, let them have fun with it.
I still want to continue to do that and, you know, spread the. Spread the education in a way that's more approachable and less scary, so. Because even for me, like, especially with my sister and my dad and my uncle, like, I'm like, I don't know. I mean, I'm learning wine just as much as the everyday person. And even though I've been around it my whole life, there's still so much to learn about it. I think it's going to be, like a lifetime thing, you know, so in
[00:22:49] Taylor McAlpine: any of these, like, artisan or craft industries, it is fascinating how deep down the rabbit hole you can go of learning these.
I mean, there are some of the shows that you can watch and that you're talking about, oh, this is exactly from this vineyard, and it was produced this year from a tasting.
[00:23:04] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah.
[00:23:04] Taylor McAlpine: Like, that's.
[00:23:05] Katelyn McPherson: I know. It's crazy. It really is. I mean, it's. I remember my sister, when she was going through her som. You know, training, she got to test, and she. She didn't pass by. Like, I think it was one point. It was kind of crazy. I think she's going to continue to pursue it, but she's truly amazing. Like, she'll taste a wine, and I'M like, wow. Like, okay, like, I'm more. I always tell people, I joke, I'm like, don't ask me what that tastes like. But if you want to know how to mix a color or if you want to know, you know, something about furniture or something, like, we can talk that. But I just like wine. It's still just such a mystery, but it's fun.
[00:23:43] Taylor McAlpine: It can be as sophisticated or complicated as you want to. You can keep going.
[00:23:47] Katelyn McPherson: Totally, totally.
[00:23:48] Taylor McAlpine: For those who just want to enjoy a good drink.
[00:23:50] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think, you know, with my mom, you know, starting Ladiosa, like, her passion was always, you know, the arts. And, you know, she did interior design for so long, and then she opened Latiosa because I think she wanted just something different.
And her father, Spanish father, he was a chef. And so she grew up with him cooking, you know, all these different dishes. And so in his memory, she wanted to open a restaurant, you know, that accentuated that lifestyle and her heritage and all that good stuff. And so. But with that came her passion in wine as well, and how she wanted to share good wines in Lubbock, you know, And I think with that, with McPherson Cellars and Laosa and of course, other businesses that I know have helped this, you know, wonderful thing. I think Lubbock could truly be a spot where, you know, wine is known. And I mean, with the Texas ABA up here, and I think it's like 84 to 88% of the grapes come from up here for all Texas.
[00:24:54] Taylor McAlpine: Can you explain that a little bit more?
[00:24:55] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So
[00:24:58] Taylor McAlpine: all.
[00:24:59] Katelyn McPherson: So we have our, like, own region, so to speak, and it's the Texas ABA and it's up here. And I would say all of the Texas wine industry for Texas, even like in the Hill country, they get their grapes from up here.
Yeah. So us too, like, we're all. We're 100% Texas made, and all the grapes that we get are within.
All of our vintners and vineyards are. They're all within like a 30 mile radius of the winery.
And we all have such good rapport with them. Spencer and my dad have been working with them a really long time and have such close relationships with them.
[00:25:36] Taylor McAlpine: So it takes a lot of people to make this industry.
[00:25:38] Katelyn McPherson: It really does. Yeah. I mean, I joke, you know, but I was helping bottling one day and I was talking to one of the guys that was helping us, and I'm like, man, it's amazing how many hands touch a bottle of wine. Like, whether it's the Juice inside of it or the actual glass itself, like somebody packed up that glass to ship to us. It's just amazing.
[00:26:02] Taylor McAlpine: The people who designed the label, the people who tended the farm.
[00:26:05] Katelyn McPherson: Yes. The capsule, making the cork, making everything. Everything. It's all so cool if you think about it that way.
So, yeah, so all the grapes come from up here. I mean, there are some grapes down in the hill country, but it just. They do so well up here.
And my dad is really passionate about planting to the land only, you know, making wine from, you know, varietals that work here. You know, not forcing something that can't work, you know, because then it just doesn't make a good wine.
[00:26:39] Taylor McAlpine: But how do they compare this region to Europe? Like in similar climates or.
[00:26:44] Katelyn McPherson: I would say, like. Well, definitely Italy and Spain and Rhone, Rhone, French, Rhone regions. It just.
I don't know what it is, but they love it here. I mean, I do know what it is. It's the temperatures and all of that. But they. Those varietals, most Spanish, like Tempranillo, works really well here.
Sangiovese, Dolcetto.
Oh, gosh. Primitive. Like, there's so many other, you know, varietals that work here.
Albarino works really well here. A famous Spanish white.
Let's see, going through the list for Rhone Valley, like, we've got some Syrah that works really well here.
[00:27:30] Taylor McAlpine: And it's all because of the soil conditions, the temperatures, the fact it doesn't get too cold.
[00:27:34] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And like I said, like, vines like to struggle a little bit, so, you know, Lubbock definitely offers that struggle, you know, so. So, yeah, it's pretty cool.
So, yeah, it's fun.
It's one of those things where Texas is trying to find its way to be seen and heard and to be recognized as a place that can make good wine.
So we're working hard towards that. It's just going to be a journey, I think, time and people to take a leap and experience it.
[00:28:10] Taylor McAlpine: So how does the nation or internationally, how do they perceive Texas wine?
[00:28:14] Katelyn McPherson: Sadly, I feel like it's kind of a mixed bag. You know, you get people that.
That are truly in the industry, that do know there are. There are good wines here and good winemakers and, you know, of course, vineyards and all that good stuff. And then you have, you know, some people that are also definitely well known in the industry that have maybe tried bad ones. They've had bad experiences with Texas wine, and they've just kind of written it off because they're tired of having the bad experience.
And so it's just one of those things, like if you just keep an open mind. I think wine deserves an open mind. You know, you're going to have bad years, you're going to have bad yields, you're going to have all these things that, you know, maybe that winemaker is really, actually really good, but their wine just didn't come out that well and they didn't know until it was bottled and, you know, know, put out. I. I don't know. You know, I just think it should be more open minded.
You know, Texas has a lot to offer when it comes to wine and we grow a lot of beautiful things. So I just feel, you know, I think having an open mind, you know, I understand.
I actually don't fully understand the industry to the extent that I'm sure my sister does. And she's probably like, oh, God, Caitlin, you just don't know. But, you know, I think having an open mind just in general in life is, you know, a good thing to have.
[00:29:34] Taylor McAlpine: Oh, completely.
[00:29:35] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah.
[00:29:36] Taylor McAlpine: And that's something I always like to take from these conversations of like, hey, what do we learn about family? What do we learn about business? What do we learn about community that we can practice for ourselves?
[00:29:45] Katelyn McPherson: Totally.
[00:29:46] Taylor McAlpine: Because there's unique experiences that you all go through as a family business that anyone can learn from.
[00:29:51] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah.
[00:29:52] Taylor McAlpine: And specifically within the wine industry, man, the perseverance, the trial and error.
[00:29:55] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, man.
It's funny because I came on during a difficult time, you know, I really did. The demand is just, just not there. And so for me it's just, again, it's just trying to, you know, show people wine is really awesome. And, you know, I understand, you know, why maybe drinking a glass of wine is not as easy as drinking a beer or a cocktail or something. But if you, if you love food, if you're a foodie and you love to experiment with smell and taste, like we're your people, you know, so. Which I think you can ultimately do with everything else as well. I do love a good beer and I also think our craft beer industry in Lubbock is like, booming. And I love that because I love a good craft beer and I love, we love working with them too. We collaborate with a lot of them and they like to like, sell our wines, which is really cool. So there's a lot of, like, shared community and contributions, which I really love.
So, yeah, great relationships there.
Yeah. I don't know. It's fun. It's fun to. It's fun to have wine In a small town that, you know, I feel like has been growing for a while.
[00:31:07] Taylor McAlpine: Let's explore that a little more of grandpa started doing some experiments back in the 60s. What has community involvement meant over these decades of. It wouldn't have ended up here without the continued support of people from Lubbock in the region. And so you were talking about, like, Goodline. They carry your product. And so how important are other stakeholders, other supporters, other champions?
[00:31:31] Katelyn McPherson: Honestly, they're super important because, you know, I think too, you know, with Lubbock growing so much, the growth is going the complete opposite direction of us. And so I feel like downtown is also a gem that could totally be, like, loved more. And I'm so glad Lubbock is actually. They are putting the work in. They totally are. Like, we're building a. They're building a new park, you know, community park down there. And I'm really hoping the food court goes through and they're, like, possibly gonna re up the brick streets a little bit, not totally get rid of them. I'm thankful for that because it's just a part of Lubbock downtown that I love.
But they're gonna, like, fix it up. And I think the more, you know, the community understands, like, downtown's really cool. You should come and visit and, like, see the, you know, historic historical spots, you know, including us. Like, it's an old Coca Cola bottling factory.
[00:32:25] Taylor McAlpine: I was about to say the building alone is fascinating.
[00:32:27] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, it's pretty bitching, I'm not gonna lie.
So, yeah, I don't know.
Good line. And all of them, they. They do so much for us just by spreading the word. Some people have had our wine for the first time at Goodline. They're like, oh, wow. Didn't even know this was here. And then they'll come in and it's like, thank you. You know, that's.
[00:32:42] Taylor McAlpine: So this is right down the street. It's in your backyard, right?
[00:32:45] Katelyn McPherson: Yes. So, yeah, we just. We love supporting them, too, because we want them to. You know, if they fail, then we all fail. You know, I think sharing the wealth is also really important in this industry. Like, you know, I think it's easy, you know, you know, just natural, you know, human society to, like, be like, oh, you know, they're competitors. We need to, you know, not do what they're doing. Or it's like, no, no, let's just share the wealth. You know, I think if. If every health competitiveness is healthy, right? Competition is healthy. And so we love when, like, new wineries pop up like VS Art, they just popped up the Crush pad right around the corner. Yes. And we love them. They. We come visit us. We come visit them. You know, it's a. It's a fun relationship to have. And, like, honestly, it's great that they're bringing more people down because there's more options, you know, so.
[00:33:39] Taylor McAlpine: Well, I see it the same way, like, when you all submit things to competition, the more awards that we're getting about Texas wine and Lubbock wine, oh, man, that's just creating legitimacy for everyone.
[00:33:48] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, totally. So I think too, you know, with time, people will come back, the demand will come back. You know, I think probably budgetarily wise, like, wine is just, you know, too much for most folks. But I don't know, you know, that's part of the reason why we sell our wines at the kind of more budget friendly prices that we do, because we want everyone to be able to drink our wine. My dad's super into that. He's really big about, you know, wine for every man and every woman, you know, like, it just, you know, and he. He's really big on just drinking it, you know, have a good time now. He does have. We do have some, you know, series of wines that you can age, if you're into that.
We do have. Have it where you can. But he's. He's all about the.
Drink it now and enjoy it now.
[00:34:39] Taylor McAlpine: Grab it at the winery, get it at the grocery store.
[00:34:41] Katelyn McPherson: Enjoy it with that. So.
So, yeah, it's.
[00:34:47] Taylor McAlpine: I don't know.
[00:34:47] Katelyn McPherson: It's been a good time.
[00:34:48] Taylor McAlpine: Something I was curious about is how far has your wine reached?
Because y' all have it in restaurants and grocery. And so.
[00:34:55] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, it's really. It's really awesome. We've reached as far as, like, Charleston, South Carolina, or Charleston, North Carolina.
Jersey. New Jersey. You get some wines up there, Washington, D.C.
yeah, definitely. We get people that order from Washington, D.C. a lot, actually. It's kind of cool.
I think, as far as Marfa, we have some restaurant down there has our wines where we make wine for them.
[00:35:25] Taylor McAlpine: Marfa's on my Texas bucket list.
[00:35:27] Katelyn McPherson: I know, it's really cool. Love that we have Marfa in our. In our state.
Yeah.
All over Texas. I mean, definitely all over Texas.
I would have to ask. I would have to ask. Those are definitely the ones I know. And I think we're just trying to pursue more as we go.
Tessa Butterfield is our, like, new, I would say, brand ambassador, I would say, and she's really kicking ass out there. And showing people how.
How great we are. Love it. So, yeah. Yeah. Hopefully the word gets spread and all that good stuff.
[00:36:02] Taylor McAlpine: Perfect.
[00:36:03] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah.
[00:36:04] Taylor McAlpine: At this point in the drive, we usually talk about what's coming up. What can we expect from the family business?
[00:36:09] Katelyn McPherson: Well, I mean, always look at our Instagram and our Facebook. We're always having, like, random, you know, events going on.
We're having our annual Halloween party, which is pretty awesome. That was a really good time last year. Tickets are out for sale already on Eventbrite.
We normally host cookies and carols. Sadly, we're not going to do that this year, but stay tuned. We're possibly going to have our own, like, little Christmas party to come to. Yeah. Open to the public. So we'll stay tuned with that.
Yeah. I don't know. It's kind of one of those things where things pop up all the time and then we decide to throw stuff out there. So tonight we're having a vinyl hang in the patio, so, you know, with Hub City Records. So, yeah, just stay tuned and keep our socials on your map.
[00:36:59] Taylor McAlpine: Okay. Yeah. Any new wines dropping?
[00:37:02] Katelyn McPherson: Yes.
[00:37:02] Taylor McAlpine: Has Harvest just happened?
[00:37:03] Katelyn McPherson: Harvest did just. It's still kind of happening, actually. We have our Sagmore Wine Club coming up on the 22nd, and we're releasing four wines.
It's a Vermentino, our La Escuela white blend, Le Coupon red, it's also a blend. And then our Tempranillo block. So it's gonna be fun. Four wines that will be a lovely, lovely little mixture of wines. And then we have our Block wine club coming in November, November 10th, and that's gonna release. Oh, I'm pretty sure our Graciano is coming out for that one. I'm really excited. I'm pretty sure. Don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure that's gonna come out, which I'm really excited about. So.
[00:37:48] Taylor McAlpine: So love it.
And then from there, what? All y' all are vertically integrated, so you grow grapes, Y' all have the tasting room. Y' all have. Do you self distribute for, like, stocking grocery stores and things like that?
[00:38:02] Katelyn McPherson: We do not self distribute. We. We go through a distributor. Perfect. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:38:07] Taylor McAlpine: And then have wine clubs and then run the tasting room also as a venue, so it's available to the public that way.
[00:38:13] Katelyn McPherson: Totally.
[00:38:13] Taylor McAlpine: Is there anything else that the public would need to know about how they can interact with y'?
[00:38:17] Katelyn McPherson: All?
I mean, we make it all in house, you know, if you ever want to come and, like, see, you know, how the sausage is made. Come on in. We'll give you a tour.
I would say.
Yeah, I don't really think that's. I think that's about it. We do grow our own grapes. We're not quite making wines out of our grapes yet because we did have to pull out all of the Sangiovese that my grandfather planted in the 80s because they were no longer viable.
But we are selling those. We fixed them all up, and they're great pieces of art. We've had several people purchase them for their house.
[00:38:52] Taylor McAlpine: So you can kind of buy a piece of history.
[00:38:53] Katelyn McPherson: You can. You can buy a piece of history. It comes with some of the Sangiovese that came from those vines.
And then hopefully, in the future, we plan on having a nice dinner for all the people that purchased a vine with those wines and some more. So, yeah, it comes with a lot, honestly. So we have those hanging up as pieces of art in our taste, our event center right now, actually. So, yeah, things like that. Pretty good stuff.
[00:39:17] Taylor McAlpine: Love it. And here we are back at the dealership, which ironically. Right across the street from where y' all are.
[00:39:23] Katelyn McPherson: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:39:24] Taylor McAlpine: So if you're ever in downtown, come stop by.
[00:39:27] Katelyn McPherson: Please come stop by. Have a glass of wine. I'll be there.
[00:39:30] Taylor McAlpine: Well, Caitlyn, thank you so much for joining me for this conversation.
[00:39:32] Katelyn McPherson: You're so welcome, Taylor. Thank you so much.
[00:39:34] Taylor McAlpine: We'll see you around.
[00:39:35] Katelyn McPherson: Okay.
