D’Alfonso-Curran Elevates Science Over Tradition
Talking Enzymes With Veteran Power Couple Bruno D’Alfonso and Kris Curran
SMART WINES: Kris Curran and Bruno D’Alfonso rely on decades of combined experience to explain their reliance on innovation in the cellar. “The science, the technology, the chemistry, the physics,” explained D’Alfonso, “we apply those to our winemaking.” | Credit: Macduff Everton
What follows is an edited excerpt from Vines & Vision: The Winemakers of Santa Barbara County, published in 2020 by Matt Kettmann and Macduff Everton.
You might expect romantic tales of viticultural conquest and testaments to age-old traditions when talking to wine industry veterans Bruno D’Alfonso and Kris Curran.
But when sipping on crisp white wines made from grapes you’ve never heard of next to a walnut orchard outside of their winery on Santa Rosa Road in the Sta. Rita Hills, the conversation instead revolves around electrostatic sprayers, protein adherents, and protease enzymes. After nearly 65 combined vintages in the Santa Ynez Valley — during which they built up the reputations of legendary estates such as Sanford and Sea Smoke while developing their own brands — this power couple is firmly, even defiantly, focused on the molecular side of winemaking rather than the charming methods of yesteryear.
