EQUILIBRI
A collaborative project between Bokisch Vineyards and The Roots Fund
(Scholars: Christopher Salcedo, Daren Clark, Christina Lopez, Justin Trabue, & Aaron Monu), and Bottle + Brand.
A portion of the proceeds of each bottle purchased will be donated to The Roots Fund.
The Story Behind the Wine…
Equilibri, The Catalan word for balance. A unifying balance of diversity and creating new inclusive spaces for communities of color in the wine world is the mission of the Roots Fund. Now, they have partnered with the pioneers of Spanish wines, Bokisch Vineyards, to champion that cause by releasing this unique red blend. Thank you for being part of our cause.
After a successful enrichment trip to the Lodi region with LAIC, we learned about Bokisch vineyards. Bokisch resonated with us, as a family-owned winery built on a love story that brought award-winning Spanish varietals to the Clement Hills of Lodi AVA. The Roots Fund enjoyed the wines and the sense of community. Our wine production scholars were inspired by the passion for change.
Equilibri is a blend of the finest Spanish grape varietals to include: Graciano, Garnacha, Tempranillo, Zinfandel.
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Bokisch Wine Maker
Elyse has been working the wine industry for over ten years. She began her long love affair with Spanish wines in 2004 when she and her husband visited Spain. Elyse's passionate, thoughtful, and artful style of winemaking combined with Markus' grapes have been a winning combination for Bokisch since 2014.
Elyse found her way into winemaking in an unusual way; her first two post high-school degrees were a bachelor's in Political Science in 1994 and an master's in Public Administration in 2001. In 2008, she began her journey toward becoming a winemaker by working as a harvest intern at a winery in San Francisco.
Elyse was also a Cellar Worker (aka “cellar rat”) at a custom-crush facility in Napa Valley and quickly became Assistant Winemaker there in 2011.She somehow found time in 2011 to found her own winery, Egan Cellars, in San Francisco, where she makes small lots of Spanish and Italian varietals.
December 2013 found Elyse at Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi, again as Assistant Winemaker. In January 2016, she was named as its Winemaker and specializes in making Spanish varietals such as Garnacha, Verdejo, and Albariño, among others.
In her free time Elyse loves to hike, visit local breweries, and spend time in San Francisco with her husband.
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The Artist behind the design
Aaron Monu is a multidisciplinary artist based in Atlanta, GA. Professionally, he worked in New York for 5 years in the bespoke men’s fashion industry which eventually influenced his transition into the art and wine industries. He currently utilizes mixed media and acrylic paint for his canvas work while his sculptures, deemed “naturescapes”, incorporate natural materials such as stone, sand, water, and wood with live plants to create living works of art. Aaron is also WSET certified through The Roots Fund where he uses his knowledge and photography discipline as the Creative Director for Wines For The Culture.
About the design:
“I chose the bottle design for The Roots Fund Blend based on the impact the Roots Fund has had for BiPOC community. The color palette of orange, yellow, and tan signifies excitement, positivity, and security/neutrality; while the black lines signify the unity of the different groups that The Roots Fund caters to. The design is architectural in nature (drawing inspiration from the Bauhaus Art School) and highlights how The Roots Fund is building a new, impactful, and long-standing, space in the wine industry.”
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Markus and Liz Bokisch have been producing award-winning Spanish varietals since the early 2000s. With the hearts and heritage of Spain, their inspiration to produce Spanish varietal wines began, creating Bokisch Vineyards, nestled in the Clements Hills of the Lodi AVA. The Bokisch Vineyards label currently produces nine Spanish varieties including Garnacha Blanca, Verdejo, Garnacha, and Monastrell. In 2012 they began experimenting with other unique small-lot production by introducing the Tizona label which produces varieties such as Malbec, Petit Verdot, Old Vine Zin, and specialty blends.
