ORIGIN
ULLAGE (UH-LIDJ) IS THE AMOUNT BY WHICH A CONTAINER FALLS SHORT OF BEING FILLED TO THE TOP. OR, AS WE EXPLAIN TO MOST PEOPLE QUITE SIMPLY, IT’S THAT ‘AIR GAP’ SPACE BETWEEN THE WINE AND THE CORK.
ULLAGE AS YOU’VE NOTICED BY NOW IS ALSO THE NAME OF THIS SMALL CRAFT PRODUCTION WINE BRAND WHICH IS OPERATED BY WIFE & HUSBAND MINNESOTA TRANSPLANTS, MOLLY FEENEY-KOCHEVAR & PAUL KOCHEVAR, ALONGSIDE SONOMA COUNTY, CA. FOOD – WINE- AND MUSICAL NATIVE, BRANDON HASSUR.
THE TRIO MET IN EARLY 2018 WORKING FOR FRIENDS LIOCO WINES IN SONOMA COUNTY. HASSUR WAS MANAGING THEIR NEW DOWNTOWN HEALDSBURG TASTING ROOM WHEN RETIRED PROFESSIONAL FITNESS TRAINER, PAUL KOCHEVAR, WAS INTRODUCED TO HIM AS THE NEW KID IN TOWN. PAUL WAS FRESH OFF OF THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS FROM STUDYING WINE MAKING, AND HE WAS EAGER TO GET TO WORK IN ANY CAPACITY TO LEARN THE BIZ. BRANDON AND PAUL (NOW AKA – YOUNG LOVE) IMMEDIATELY TOOK TO A MOST GLORIOUS BRO-MANCE OVER MUSIC (PARTICULARLY THAT SHIT THAT GROOVES THE BOOTY), WINE, AND A SHARED ATTITUDE AND PHILOSOPHY ABOUT EXISTENCE IN GENERAL.
“…GROOVES THE BOOTY…”
WHILE HELPING SLANG JUICE A COUPLE DAYS A WEEK IN THE TASTING ROOM, THE NOW CURRENT DAY ASSISTANT WINEMAKER FOR DUTCHER CROSSING, PAUL, WAS THEN ALSO GETTING HIS FEET WET WORKING WITH LOCAL WINEMAKER, JAMES MCPHAIL, IN WEST SONOMA COUNTY.
AS PAUL’S WINEMAKING JOB BECAME BUSIER, IT WASN’T TOO LONG BEFORE HE PROPOSED THE IDEA OF HIRING HIS ALSO EAGER TO GET INTO THE BIZ WIFE, MOLLY, IN HIS PLACE. ENTER, MOLLY (AKA – MAGS).
MAGS. AN ALL THINGS PRINCE (THE PURPLE CREATURE) AND ANIMAL LOVER. IT TOOK ALL OF ONE, MAYBE TWO, SECONDS FOR MOLLY TO DOMINATE WINE HOSPITALITY AND MAKE LIFELONG FRIENDS WITH EVERY LAST SOUL (HUMAN OR CANINE) WHO WALKED THROUGH THAT TASTING ROOM DOOR. WHEN YOU MEET MOLLY, YOU’RE INSTANTLY IN LOVE. YOU ALSO SOMEHOW END UP DRIVING OFF WITH A TRUNK FULL OF LARGE FORMAT WINES. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED. WITH THIS SET OF NATURAL BORN SKILLS, IT’S NO WONDER TO ANYONE THAT MOLLY HOLDS POST AS THE CONCIERGE FOR THE 3 STAR MICHELIN RESTAURANT/HOTEL, SINGLE THREAD.
“…WHEN YOU MEET MOLLY YOU’RE IN LOVE INSTANTLY…”
BRANDON’S RESUME INCLUDES PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN EXPERIENCE, CELLAR RAT, RESTAURANT AG., WINE HOSPITALITY, AND HOBBYIST MUSIC PRODUCER/SONGWRITER. FRESH OFF THE STAGE OF BOTTLE ROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL IN 2013, HASSUR FATEFULLY TOOK WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A PART TIME SUMMER GIG HELPING OPEN BANSHEE WINE’S FIRST EVER BRICK AND MORTAR SHOP. BACK WHEN IT WAS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND THE CBGB’S OF THE XENNIAL/MILLENNIAL DOMESTIC WINE CULTURE.
IT WAS HERE THAT HASSUR GAINED EARLY INFLUENCE FROM THE DORRANCE (REEVE/BLOODROOT), ZIEGLER (VALKYRIE SELECTIONS, MARINE LAYER WINES, ETC.), ROSS COBB (COBB WINES), KATIE WILSON (LARUE WINES) BLOODLINES OF HIS EMPLOYER.
OVER A DECADE STRETCH IN ADDITION TO BANSHEE, HASSUR HELD MULTIPLE DTC MANAGEMENT POSITIONS FOR SOME OF THE REGION’S MOST NOTABLE WINE DARLING’S, SUCH AS LIOCO WINES, REEVE WINES, AND KOSTA BROWNE WINES.
“…SOME OF THE REGION’S MOST NOTABLE WINE DARLING’S…”
REWINDING BACK TO THE LIOCO DAYS OF ‘18 WHEN BRANDON AND MOLLY WERE RUNNING TOGETHER, PAUL AFTER WORK WOULD OFTEN GRAB A SEAT AT THE LIOCO BAR AS THEY NEARED CLOSING TIME. THEY WOULD ALL SHARE WINE, LIFE STORIES, MUSIC, DREAMS, AND EVENTUALLY EARLY IDEAS OF WHAT WOULD BECOME, ULLAGE WINES.
IT TOOK A FEW TEST RUN YEARS OF WILDFIRES AND A PANDEMIC UNTIL ALL THREE OFFICIALLY CAME TOGETHER, BUT WHETHER IT WAS THE LIOCO BAR, A ‘TABLE 4’ MEAL AT GUISO RESTAURANT, OR A SUNSET PORCH HANG INTO THE NIGHT, IT JUST MIGHT HAVE BEEN ALL THAT SPACE IN BETWEEN THESE TIMES THAT EVENTUALLY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
PHILOSOPHY
THE TRIO HAS ALWAYS SHARED PLEASURE IN THE NATURAL AND THE LESS THAN NATURAL. THE OLD AND THE NEW. WE LIKE TO PLAY IN THAT FUN WEIRD AWKWARD SPACE BETWEEN ALL OF THE ‘STRUCTURAL’ BINARY THINGS AND DOGMATIC VISIONS. WE ALWAYS EXCITED AND OPEN TO CHANGE AND MOVEMENT. NEVER STILL, AND NEVER BORED. ALWAYS LETTING THINGS BE WHAT THEY WISH TO BE.
“…PLAY IN THAT FUN WEIRD SPACE…”