Adam David Saake was born and raised in Sacramento and has never moved. After nearly 40 years, it is still the center of his universe.
He has, however, moved around just far enough to get a taste of the bigger world of wine grapes and products. Enough, you can say, to make a rational decision to specialize in grapes grown closer to his backyard, in Amador County and the Lodi winegrowing region.
You can also say that for a winemaker with only two real commercial vintages under his belt, Mr. Saake has achieved a modest degree of notoriety. There must be a reason. Is it the wines, his obdurate homie status, the fact that he is an upstart, teeny-tiny producer? Has he actually “paid his dues,” or does that really matter? Whatever the case, here is his story…
First, for the past year and a half, Mr. Saake’s recently minted Perch Wine Co. brand has been produced at Lodi Crush, a Downtown Lodi custom crush facility owned and operated by Gerardo Espinosa. Espinosa himself has his own wine brand, Anaya Vineyards, as well as a nifty little wine bar, called The Lounge at Lodi Crush.
Perch Wine Co. bottles, (naturally) perched on a tree.
Says Saake: “In 2022 when I moved my production to Gerardo’s I decided to branch out from only making Amador County wine and try my hand at some Lodi vineyards. I launched my brand in 2020. 2023 will be my fourth commercial vintage.
“It started
