Fuil Wines creates unique expressions of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Latinas Wine Club: How did you get into wine?

Carolina Espiro Jaeger:  I moved here from Chile with my parents at the age of 2 and grew up with wine as an everyday part of life. My family saw wine as a beverage that naturally accompanied a family dinner. It wasn’t meant to distract or even fuss about. But when I began working in restaurants and wine bars, I was introduced to a world where wine brought about discussion, reverence, and, for better or worse, scrutiny. I formed a newfound respect for the beautiful art that goes into winemaking. The fact that one sip can tell you all about where, how, and near what something was grown. It can tell you its experience as a living fruit, the weather it endured, the care that was taken, the bed that it rested in, and its crawling bedmates.  The path of the sun, the feel of the temperature. It can tell you more about itself than any other thing I’ve consumed. And it forces you to listen. As a filmmaker and storyteller, this resonates with me deeply.  Being with Matt as a partner in life and in wine has been such an incredible blessing, and I continue to learn more and more every day.

Matt Espiro Jaeger: I grew up in rural Wisconsin, in beer and brat country, to parents who rarely drank. So when my father took a community college wine appreciation course, it was a big deal because he had to drink a whole bottle of wine every week.  Witnessing him analyze the color, aroma, feel, and taste of the wine, I was enthralled.  The sound of a cork popping and wine pouring became a call to conversation with my dad.  Since then, wine has played a pivotal role in my life.  In my 20s and 30s, I even took on extra jobs so I could afford the wine that made an impression on me.  Now, I get to make wine that makes an impression on others.  

Latinas Wine Club: How did Fuil Wines come to fruition? 

Carolina Espiro Jaeger: Since we met nearly 20 years ago, acting in a children’s Shakespeare show, we’ve been bonding over wine. From our first date at a winery to our engagement at a winery and a wedding at that same winery, wine has been a part of our journey. During the pandemic, I treated Matt to a trip to Los Olivos, one of our favorite areas to visit. We both were pretty broke at that time, but I was able to get family and friends to (remotely) sponsor wine tastings at several different wineries as a surprise birthday gift since we weren’t all able to gather. On this trip, I organized for him to help out a winemaker at Demetria Estate (where we were married.) He had the time of his life, waking up at dawn and working at the facility. He returned from that experience and told me, “I think I want to be a winemaker.”  I just looked at him and said, “FINALLY.”   I always knew he had a passion for it and the choice towards this career shift was so natural. He began interning with Dusty Nabor and got certified by UC Davis as a winemaker.  After 2 years, we were designing labels for our first harvest. When it was time to go looking for a name for our winery, reaching into Matt’s Irish background seemed like the perfect move. Fuil is a Gaelic word meaning blood, kin, land, passion, and temperament. 

Latinas Wine Club: Why did you start Fuil Wines?

Carolina Espiro Jaeger: Call it mild insanity or a foolhardy fancy, but we made the leap to pursue a winemaking dream and haven’t looked back. It’s no coincidence that “Fuil”  is also a Gaelic slang for “fool.”  But fools do rush in. And that’s what we did. We wanted to create a winery that is boutique, specializing in the wines of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County.   Our goal is to join the beautiful aromas and flavors the California Coast has to offer with the structure and complexity of Old World winemaking, all while being sourced from sustainably managed, certified organic, or bio-dynamically farmed vineyards. 

Latinas Wine Club: Who is who in Fuil Wines?

Carolina Espiro Jaeger: We are still very small, so right now it’s me as majority business owner, marketing department, grape stomper, bottle filler, and  expert taster!  Matt is winemaker, wine rep, and everything else you can possibly think of.  We have recently added Heather Clifford as our social media manager and we are so grateful to her! 

Latinas Wine Club: What wines are you drinking now? 

Carolina Espiro Jaeger: For me personally, I’m loving everything out of Portalupi Wines. I also enjoy anything sparkling from Rava. Matt and I share a mutual love for Cabernet Franc and Viognier, although I gotta say the only Viognier I like is ours. Lol.  It all stems from our commitment to only bottle and sell what we love, and I’m so grateful that Matt can make incredible wines that I can enjoy for the rest of our lives.