- This event has passed.
Featured Interview: Joe Freeman & Ed Morris
March 22, 2016 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
JOE FREEMAN
WINEMAKER
“Balance makes our wines a beautiful experience. Balance is a cornerstone here; it is found in the composition of the wines and in the people who are integral to our work in our estate vineyards
and winery cellar.” – Joe Freeman, Winemaker
Joe Freeman, winemaker at The Rubin Family Vineyards and Winery in Green Valley of Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, has been involved in the production of Russian River Valley wines since 1997. After a childhood in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and a pit-stop in the mountains of Colorado, he arrived in Santa Rosa, California. Joe had a desire to find a career that could utilize his training and interest in chemistry, biology, and horticulture, and winemaking was a perfect fit.
ED MORRIS
ASSOCIATE WINEMAKER | RESIDENT COOPER
“Joe Freeman and I have a great relationship when it comes to making wine. We both agree that the flavors of the wine should be highlighted over blatant oak flavors. And, that the wine’s flavors are best elevated by early contact with some oak. Sometimes, we’ve even realized the potential of putting certain wines into barrels during fermentation.” – Ed Morris, Associate Winemaker | Resident Cooper
On January 5, 2015, Ed Morris was elevated to associate winemaker for The Rubin Family of Wines. Associate Winemaker Ed Morris’s coopering background adds extra value to his role. When needed, he has done some insert installation and some barrel repair. He’s helped to refine the barrel program, by finding the best barrels well-suited to Green Valley of Russian River Valley grapes.
According to Winemaker Joe Freeman, “I’m very excited about Ed’s advancement. Ed now has an increased role in blending, developing new wines, and supporting The Rubin Family of Wines in the marketplace.
Ed Morris comes from a long line of craftsmen: his great-grandfather was a violin builder by trade, his grandfather was a clock maker, and his father is a carpenter. Growing up in the Russian River Valley, and attending high school in Forestville, he planned to attend Santa Rosa Junior College after graduation. A summer job at a custom cooperage, however, changed everything.
