She spoke wistfully - her voice tremulous, her eyes slightly teary, betraying the state of nerves behind her tentative smile - of the time around 30 years ago when she immigrated to the United States in search of a better life. She was, and still is the family’s breadwinner…

What begins as a typical Pinoy story continues quite extraordinarily. I wonder what she is thinking now that she recounts these memories before an exclusive audience of about 30 people. These people have come to taste the different vintages of wine that she, her husband and her husband’s friend have produced. They are the owners and winemakers of Corte Riva Vineyards in St. Helena, Napa Valley, California.

She is Nieves Cortez, a petite woman born and raised in Ilocos Sur. She speaks in a trademark ‘Fil-Ilo-Cal’ accent, the same endearing inflections and intonations I detect in my own Ilocano Fil-Am aunts and cousins living in Northern California.

The various wines, to my amateur palate, are superb, unforgettable and unique, all with subtle flavors that are enough to set them apart as different from others in their class. I am particularly captivated by the Corte Riva Cabernet Franc the flavor of which I would liken to a dried preserved Chinese plums, a.k.a. champoy, thus bringing back many pleasant childhood memories. But thankfully for Corte Riva, I’m no wine expert and I leave describing the wine and its bouquets, palates and finishes to those who are. So with the discussion as to what food would make great pairings for the viogniers, petite sirahs, cabernet sauvignons and cabernet francs to the gourmands.

I’d rather talk about the indescribable pride I felt over Corte Riva wines, over what Nieves and Corte Riva have accomplished as a family and as Filipinos. I know some Pinoys who dream of owning vineyards in Napa. Heck, I know some Americans who dream of owning vineyards in Napa. But only few get to actualize that dream. And to do that, they had to “sprout from the ground,” i.e. while it is plausible to march into Napa with a boatload of money and buy your way to owning a vineyard, you can’t really make it work unless you’ve worked in one.

I had always suspected that Pinoys played a part in cultivating California wine country. As a frequent visitor to this famed valley (on account of family who live close by), I’d read historical documents about early Chinese migrant workers who toiled in the railways and vineyards of the area. I always thought to myself that there must have been Pinoys too. After all, some of the early Pinoy settlers in California were Filipino agriculturists who were brought in through American educational grants. I believe some of my relatives (three or four generations ahead of me) were part of this lot.

Nieves’ story confirmed that for me. And she confirms further that Filipinos are part of the workforce that run some of the Napa Valley vineyards behind the scenes to this day. You can read about Corte Riva and the other people behind it at their website: http://www.corteriva.com.

What struck me most is how humble Nieves is. In spite of their accomplishments, you can tell that she and the rest of the crew at Corte Riva continue to toil for the land. And hubby and I lost no time in engaging her in delightful Ilocano conversation talking about the places of her childhood memories in Ilocos Sur. When we shared what our profession was, I was surprised by her response. “You’re doctors. Lucky you, you can retire early and enjoy the homeland. Us, we still have to work hard.”

I was even more surprised by my bold response to that. “Nieves, we’re just doctors. We’re a dime a dozen. You, you produce world class wine. That is a such a great legacy, for your family and the Philippines.” And to that she so humbly and softly replied, “Thank you.” I sure hope to God she believed it.

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P.S. Many of these wines, including a 2005 Cab Sauv Mabuhay Reserve, named in honor of our culture, are highly rated by Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator and even my favorite wine columnists John Brecker and Dorothy Gaiter of the WSJ. Unfortunately, they are still not commercially available in the Philippines although I understand that there are negotiations for a local distributor to officially import the product.

P.P.S. I discovered belatedly, while trying to look for an image for this post, that Nieves is a 2007 “100 Most Influential Women in the US” awardee. Mabuhay ang Filipina!

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