My name is Matt Reid, and I am winemaker and General Manager at Benessere Vineyards in St. Helena, Napa Valley, California. I’ve been a professional winemaker since completing the UC-Davis M.S. program in Viticulture & Enology in 2003. I’ve been with Benessere Vineyards since 2013. We focus on Italian varieties.

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2.       The current market downturn is the worst I have ever seen. When we last faced a truly challenging vintage in 2011, many more senior winemakers recalled the greater difficulties of the 1987 vintage. No one I’ve spoken with can recall a more severe change in the market than what we are facing now.

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3.       Of course I admire the classic European viticulture areas for their history and longevity. I also admire the less heralded European areas such as Languedoc and Puglia, for their creativity and innovation. Similarly, I am excited and intrigued by areas such as Paso Robles, Walla Walla, and in states such as Texas and Arizona where courageous growers are figuring out what works best for them.

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4.       Average day? I don’t have those!

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5.       Thanks! I’d love to share any bottle of wine that has special meaning for you. I would love to get to know you better through that wine and its significance to you. If you insist on my choosing, I would opt for a mature Cote-Rotie from Georges Vernay.

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6.       What makes my job is seeing someone’s delight when they taste one of my creations. Wine’s capacity for transmitting joy makes it special to me, and I love to share that. What I dislike? Equipment breakdowns.

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7.       I strive to make beautiful wines that everyone can afford. I do believe it is possible.

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8.       It has been a while since the Cabernet Franc wines of the Loire have thrilled me the way they once did. Perhaps I need to try again.

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9.       Syrah is my favorite variety to work with and to consume. To work with because I find it responsive to my winemaking decisions—that is, if I treat the grapes differently I’ll get a different wine—while it remains true to where it’s grown. As a consumer, I love it because it is delicious!

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10.   Money. So much wine is expensive and it naturally attracts people who can afford it. I’m sure that rich people can be interesting but being rich is not interesting in itself.

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11.   Don’t work for @$$holes. Wait for the right job to come around.

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12.   The threat to viticulture from climate change is real, and I think the way to best deal with it is to be more flexible with variety. There are so many wonderful varieties from Italy and Greece, etc., that are adapted to heat. We don’t have to be married to Cabernet Sauvignon. However, I think the bigger threat to wine is from the human impacts of climate change. If NYC is underwater, its citizens likely won’t be buying much wine no matter what the variety.

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13.   I love to read and to forage for mushrooms.

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14.   I need to see more of the wine world before I can answer this question.

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15.   I’m a winemaker, not an interviewer!