Nile Zacherle
Nile Zacherle is the co-Founder of Mad Fritz Brewing Co and Director of Winegrowing at David Arthur Vineyards on Pritchard Hill in the Napa Valley.
Nile first began his journey into fermented beverages in 1990 at the age of 18 when he and his father brewed their first batch of beer at home. What began as a father/son home project continued to evolve until he transitioned his schooling from a focus in art and design to a BS in Fermentation Science at UC Davis. While at UC Davis, Nile completed the Master Brewers program passing the 2 day exam issued by the IOBD (Institute of Brewing and Distilling based in the UK) in 1996.
After an internship at a Napa Winery doing small lot winemaking and research enology he returned to UC Davis to finish his degree. From winemaking positions in Napa Valley’s Barnett Vineyards and Chateau Montelena to roles at Western Australia’s Pierro Margaret River Vineyards and Bordeaux, France’s Chateau d’Arsac, Nile built a career producing award-winning wines from Burgundian and Bordeaux varietals.
In 2014, together with his wife, they started, Mad Fritz, named after their two children Madeleine and Fritz. Their focus is on malting and brewing beers with a ‘Farm to Foam’ approach. The sourcing of single variety barleys that are craft-malted with an origin, as well as hops and water sourcing defines the beer styles in what they call ‘Origin Beer’.
3 words to describe Nature?
Inspiring. Powerful. Subtle
3 things Nature taught you?
Respect
Patience
Gratitude
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The ocean/waves at Kailua Beach in Hawaii
The forest/trails at Moore Creek in Napa
The rocks/geology at Yosemite Valley
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm yet tentative -aware
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Excited yet unknowing - insignificant
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Inspired yet scared
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Impatient
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Helpless
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Curious
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Forest/Mountains
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10 (living around it and exploring regularly keeps me sane)
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Moving to Hawaii and learning to duck the waves as a young boy, feeling safe in ocean as big surf rolled in rather than scared. Accepting and swimming towards the monster rather than away
Nate Weis
Nate Weis is the Vice President of Winegrowing at Silver Oak Cellars & Twomey Cellars. A Napa Valley native whose father is also a winemaker, Nate grew up with wine on the table and a drawer full of t‐shirts emblazoned with winery logos. His first job after graduating with honors from UC Santa Barbara with a BS in Biopsychology/Neuroscience was as a “cellar rat” at Groth Vineyards & Winery. Nate then spent the 2003 harvest at two New Zealand wineries – Craggy Range Winery and Sacred Hill Wines – and when he returned home he worked a harvest for Etude Wines before starting grad school. After earning his MS in Viticulture and Enology, he was hired as cellar master at Etude, and then spent two years as assistant winemaker for Patz & Hall Wine Company. In 2008 Nate was hired by Marchese Piero Antinori to be winemaker for Antica Napa Valley, where he made Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot. He also served as winemaker for Aril Wines in Napa, a small ultra‐premium producer of Cabernet and Syrah.
In 2014, Nate joined Silver Oak. Under Director of Winemaking Daniel Baron, he was responsible for managing Napa Valley and Alexander Valley wine production from grape to bottle and also serving as an ambassador for the brand.
Nate earned his Executive MBA in Wine Business from Sonoma State University in 2014. He is married, and with four children, the little free time he has is spent playing rugby, running and reading.
3 words to describe nature?
Powerful. Vast. Unforgiving
3 things nature taught you?
Humility
Patience
Resilience
3 most treasured nature spots?
Yosemite
Lake Tahoe
Milford Sound
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Relaxed and Calm. The Pacific has been the backdrop to some of my most treasured memories and times
When you see a forest, it makes you feel?
Excitable, ready for exploration. The way the redwood forests near my home filter light makes me feel reverent
When you see a volcano it makes you feel...?
Very, very small and very, very young
When you see a sunrise or a sunset, it makes you feel...?
Hopeful for a peaceful night with loved ones or for a day full of new opportunities
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Powerless
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like hunkering down and reading a great book
Are you an ocean, mountain, forest, or desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is nature to your well-being?
10. Nature provides me with my profession and career in addition to my escape from my profession and career.
Share with us a childhood nature memory
I was never much of a scout but still have vivid memories of backpacking through the Desolation Wilderness as a young man with my father and some Explorer scouts. I think what sticks out were the senses of empowerment and independence.
Ian McAllister
Ian McAllister is a co-founder of the wildlife conservation organization Pacific Wild. He is an award-winning photographer, film director and author of nine books, his images have appeared in publications around the world. He is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society; a recipient of the North America Nature Photography Association’s Vision Award and the Rainforest Action Network’s Rainforest Hero award and Time Magazine’s “Leaders of the 21st Century” award for efforts to protect British Columbia’s endangered rainforest. He recently directed the Great Bear Rainforest IMAX film, the film is narrated by Ryan Reynolds and produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films.
3 words to describe Nature?
Life-support. Metamorphosis. Fragility
3 things Nature taught you?
Love of earth
Curiosity
That working in defense of nature is the most fulfilling life pursuit that I can think of.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Where the Pacific ocean meets the temperate rainforest
Anywhere underwater
Staring into the eyes of a wild wolf
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Humble, at home, empowered by the beauty and strength of it but also sadness for how our actions are impacting life below the surface.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Like I am surrounded by a collective of ancient and wise souls.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Glad I don't own real estate under it
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Sunrise. A sense of awakening, anticipation.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Energized and wide eyed.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
comfort, if I am in a safe harbor, exhilarating if I am offshore.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I live at the interface between ocean and the rainforest and feel a deep and strong affinity for each environment.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
When I was nine years old I opened our front door to find my mothers favorite goat giving its last breath as a large cougar had just crushed its throat. My dad wasn’t sure who was more dangerous at that point, my mom or the cougar. He quickly ran outside and yanked the cougars tail so hard it literally flew across the driveway and quickly climbed a tree. I have never been so close to a cougar since.
Mike Velings
Mike Velings is one of the managing partners and founders of Aqua-Spark, a global investment fund for sustainable aquaculture, combining a healthy financial profit with environmental and social impact. A lifelong entrepreneur, Mike has spent decades jumpstarting a range of successful businesses. Among other ventures, he co-founded Connexie, which has helped catalyze a professional employment industry across the Netherlands. Mike naturally combines his business background with environmental and social engagement. He understands the potential for business to create durable solutions to complex world problems. With this in mind, Mike founded A-Spark: an investment company that assists entrepreneurs across the globe in realizing their visions of a start-up with a world-changing element. Through A-Spark he has invested in a broad range of ventures over the years– both in the developed and developing world. Mike serves on several boards and is an active supporter of a range of non profits.
3 words to describe Nature?
Beautiful. Forceful. Unforgiving.
3 things Nature taught you?
Nature has an unparalleled capacity for efficient design
Resilience
The smaller parts are as important as the bigger parts
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Southern Line Islands, Kiribati
Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Fresh
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Calm
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Invigorated
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Alive
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
8
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
With my best friend lying in the park, in the bushes, studying the behaviour of ducks in the pond
Krista Tippett
Krista grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, attended Brown University, and became a journalist and diplomat in Cold War Berlin. She lived in Spain and England before seeking a Masters of Divinity at Yale University in the mid-1990s. Emerging from that, she saw a black hole where intelligent conversation about the religious, spiritual, and moral aspects of human life might be. She pitched and piloted her idea for a show for several years before launching Speaking of Faith — later On Being — as a weekly national public radio show in 2003.
In 2014, President Obama awarded Krista the National Humanities Medal at the White House for “thoughtfully delving into the mysteries of human existence. On the air and in print, Ms. Tippett avoids easy answers, embracing complexity and inviting people of every background to join her conversation about faith, ethics, and moral wisdom.” Krista is now at work on her next book, Letters to a Young Citizen. Her first book Speaking of Faith, published in 2007, is a memoir of religion in our time, including her move from geopolitical engagement to theology. In 2010, she published Einstein’s God, drawn from her interviews at the intersection of science, medicine, and spiritual inquiry. Krista’s 2016 New York Times best-selling Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living opens into the questions and challenges of this century.
3 words to describe Nature?
Extravagant. Intelligent. Fierce.
3 things Nature taught you?
To get quiet inside
To marvel
To know myself a creature among other creatures
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The highlands and islands of Scotland
Byron Bay, Australia.
In my hammock under the White Pines in my Minnesota backyard
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Liberated from any illusion of significance – pensive, joyous, and free
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Like clambering around in the branches
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Respectful
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Liberated from the Newtonian straitjacket of clocks and calendars while utterly present to time as rhythm and pattern and passage and mystery.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Happy to have no option but to hunker down indoors (if I can)
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Giddily spooked
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean, also Valley
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10, though I am not always faithful to that truth
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I grew up in central Oklahoma, where we kept the natural world at bay. I was never taught the names of the trees or flowers that grew on our semi-desert, oil-rich land. We were drilled only to watch out for the things that bite and blister, and they were legion: poison oak and poison ivy, black widow spiders and scorpions, water moccasins, rattlesnakes. We were forbidden to explore the wilderness that was rapidly being consigned to memory all around our manicured housing estate.
And yet, if you ask me about the happiest days of my childhood, my mind goes to expeditions through as yet unconquered woody areas nearby. It goes to tadpoles and turtles discovered with furtive awe. I can still see those tadpoles, feel them swimming in cold creek water through my splayed fingers. A rapt attention settles all the way through my body in their presence. I know how memory works, that I am reconstructing all these sensations from fragments scattered across my brain. But I feel my breathing slow before the mystery of minute creaturely life observable. Amazed.
Wrapped up in these memories, too, is a dawning tension between their smallness and my relative giant size; their fragility and my power – to scoop them up, starve or orphan them, literally kill them with my amazement. And the power instead to forego dominance, and take care with my delight.
We turned up home at the end of long summer days sunburned and freckled and festooned with pink rashes from the poison ivy we wandered into and tangled with after all. We’re covered with feasting blood ticks, fat and purple with our blood, and all manner of worms. Other worms were gifted from our dogs, who ran leash-less and half wild in those days and were officially what we were allowed to befriend from the wild.
They would occasionally disappear for days at a time. We would wash and pick them clean when they returned mangy and exhilarated. We would vicariously absorb their effusive abandon.