Eric Bach of Good Boy Wine
There’s power in enjoying a great glass of wine, watching the setting sun — most of all, there’s power in gathering. You never know where a great glass of wine might take you — especially with good company and a great playlist, you’re in for an adventure. For Eric Bach, it’s about the full experience.
Eric and his co-founder David Bourke want you to chill — that’s why for each of their cuvées, they’ve assembled a playlist, a story, and an experience to immerse yourself in. Founded on a desire to find locally-made natural wine that’s expressive, accessible, easy to drink and, in their words, “appropriately imperfect.” Sourcing their ingredients and making their wine within 2 hours of Downtown Los Angeles, sipping on a Good Boy Wine is a hyper-local labor of love.
PERFECT PAIRINGS: We had a blast with Good Boy Wine when they joined us in 10th Dimension during our October Show for a sipping and listening experience.
NAME: Eric Bach
CITY: Los Angeles, CA
TELL US YOUR FAVORITE GOOD BOY WINE PAIRING — THE MEAL, THE COMPANY, THE ATMOSPHERE, AND OF COURSE, THE SOUNDTRACK: Oh man, that’s a tough one! I’m a fan of meals where everyone contributes, so I’d probably pick a theme and have everyone bring a dish. I’m a big Ottolenghi fan, so I’d probably go Mediterranean, and pair the food with some UFO (aka. “Unfiltered F****ng Orange”). Soundtrack-wise, that’s kind of our specialty, we make a playlist for each release, so for a dinner party I’d probably go with one of our OG Sip & Sit playlists.
WHAT’S THE GOOD BOY WINE JOURNEY BEEN LIKE, FROM YOUR FIRST VINTAGE TO YOUR MOST RECENT WINE? It all started in our basement in Glassell Park. We discovered a wine permit from the 1940’s that was falling apart on the wall. We took it as a sign, and started experimenting making our own wine shortly after. Our first vintage was “drinkable,” but definitely nothing to boast about. After getting our first vintage under our belt, I spent some time in Ardeche (eastern France), working with some amazing natural winemakers. After that experience, we were able to hone in on our style, which is generally lighter, glou glou style wines, which are meant to be chilled and drank while fresh (early).
YOU COLLABORATED ON A VINTAGE WITH WASHED OUT, AND YOU JUST LAUNCHED A WINE AT THE END OF OCTOBER WITH DRUGDEALER. HOW DO THESE MUSIC COLLABORATIONS COME TO BE, AND CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE HINT AS TO WHO WE MIGHT EXPECT IN 2023? Music is such a big part of our winemaking experience and I like to think that it inspires the style of wine we make. We also believe that the right tunes are essential to the experience of enjoying wine, so we wanted to collaborate with musicians to make the experience a bit more seamless. We definitely have quite a few artists on our radar that we’d like to work with, a few examples would be Channel Tres, Khruangbhin, and Toro Y Moi.
IN ADDITION TO YOUR OWN LABEL, YOU’RE ON THE TEAM AT NATURAL ACTION WINE CLUB — AN ORGANIZATION PROMOTING DIVERSITY IN THE WINEMAKING INDUSTRY. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO TAKE ACTION, AND HOW DOES THAT WORK INFORM WHAT YOU BRING TO YOUR LABEL? The lack of diversity in wine as a whole, and the lack of resources to people of color to get into winemaking. There are so many opportunities in wine out there, but they often only get in front of other people (mainly white) that work in wine-producing regions. I think there’s a big opportunity to surface these opportunities to different groups and provide a seamless link to internships and jobs.
We’re involved in the day to day of Natural Action, and we’ve also supported it’s cause by donating wine to the club. We’re also always looking for interns, and are waiting for the right opportunity to bring a Natural Action candidate to Good Boy.
MAKE A MINI SIPPING PLAYLIST FOR US: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/54ZPF67iigBv9iG07WR2oG?si=6a61ddb775ba468f
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