Wine of the week: Shebang! Fifth Cuvee, North Coast Red Wine

What's the most challenging part of being a winemaker?

"Actually having the time to be a winemaker," said Morgan Twain Peterson.

Peterson is the winemaker behind our wine-of-the-week winner -- the Shebang! Fifth Cuvee, North Coast Red Wine at $12.

"Harvest is great because I can ignore the business side for a little bit and just focus on the wines," Peterson said. "Unfortunately this is not always the case the remainder of the year, when staying solvent is the highest priority."

Peterson of Sonoma's Bedrock Wine Co. said what makes Shebang! a standout is that it's pampered.

"The wine is a combination of wines that I make from the same vineyards that I source for the higher-end Bedrock wines, and made in the same way, and a little bit of wine that I buy from friends with similar winemaking practices and aesthetic," Peterson said. "That means real oak (not chips or staves), mainly native yeast fermentation, and limited racking to preserve freshness."

Shebang! is a juicy red blend with a great concentration of fruit and some snappy spice. It has notes of blackberry, black cherry, herbs and cracked black pepper. The blend is dripping with fruit, and it's a tasty wine for the final stretch of summer.

Peterson founded Bedrock in 2007 with the support of his father, Joel Peterson, the founder and winemaker of Sonoma's Ravenswood Winery.

"It is my winery, though my father certainly provides welcome advice when I ask for it and sometimes when I don't," Peterson joked.

The advice that Peterson gives, gleaned over the years, is to be unflappable.

"Just that being as even-keeled as possible at all times is the best policy," Peterson said. "Also, that a glass of champagne at the end of the day is always a good idea."

You can reach Staff Writer Peg Melnik at 521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.