Winemaker and Co-Founder of Goldschmidt Vineyards, Nick Goldschmidt brings a unique global perspective to his winemaking. A native of New Zealand, he graduated with a Distinction in Horticulture and went on to study and work in Australia at notable wineries including Kumeu River, Coopers Creek and Babich. He gathered additional winemaking experience in California and South America, including his first harvest in Chile as winemaker for Calitera.
An opportunity with Simi Winery arose in 1990, following a casual meeting with famed Winemaker Zelma Long. With that, Nick and his wife Yolyn settled in Healdsburg, CA. What began as a six month commitment led to 15 years with Simi Winery, where Nick, who became Vice President and Chief Winemaker in 1996, was one of the driving forces that brought the Simi Reserve Cabernet program to notoriety.
In 1998 Nick and Yolyn established their own line of wines – Goldschmidt Vineyards. It’s two distinct brands, Goldschmidt Vineyards and Forefathers, emphasize site-specific winemaking from great vineyard sites around the world. In their portfolio you’ll find single varietal wines from Napa, Sonoma, Argentina, Chile and of course, New Zealand. Having produced so many world class wines around the globe, Nick has plenty of insight into which vineyards would deliver on their vision.
“It’s site specific winemaking. Each wine has a single vineyard. A vineyard I’ve been working on for more than fifteen years. So there’s the consistency. If we ever run to the bunker, take one of these because they are going to last.”
After 5 ½ years working with Beam Estates (formerly Allied Domecq) where he oversaw production of Clos Du Bois, Buena Vista, Haywood, Garcia, Atlas Peak, William Hill, Gary Farrell, Jakes Fault and global wines from Mexico, Spain, Argentina and New Zealand, Nick is now fully focusing on his own wines in addition to consulting with producers all over the globe.
