Since 2017, Pepper has been making award-winning wine with their partner, Thomas Booth aka The Wine Boss of Paseo Robles, CA, as they look to add to that success with the drop of another Pepper wine, the No Shame Chardonnay.
Pepper guitarist/vocalist, Kaleo Wassman, tells The Pier: “We didn’t want to just license our name to the wine, we wanted to be active in the creation of it. And so its really incredible for us to get these awards and accolades because we are being able to co-create this wine with Thomas. And so this newest one, the Chardonnay, took us a really long time to approve cause I’m not really a Chard guy. So when this Chardonnay came into our existence it really was incredible.”
[Related: Exclusive Pepper Interview with Kaleo Wassman]
They’re calling it the No Shame Chardonnay with artwork based off their 2006 album, No Shame. Kaleo continues, explaining: “All the bottles have these Pepper artworks that fans will be able to see and even though they’re not the exact album art, the elements of the albums are there. So we’ve been able to use this Pepper art on these bottles and bringing that kind of art to the wine.”
The first Wine that was released was their 2016, Kona Town Original Blend and it sold so quick that they had to shelve their last 3 cases, something they plan to re-release in a couple years when its at its peak. In addition to the Original Blend, they have their Blend 2, which took Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Competition in 2019. They have a 2017 Skullconut Malbec, and a 2015 Cabernet called, In With The Cab, which is a play off their album, In With The Old. For 2 years in a row, they took home Gold, Silver & Bronze for all of their wines.
If you’re a Pepper fan, but new to wine and not sure where to start, we asked Thomas Booth for his recommendation as he tells The Pier: “Everyone’s palate is so different. Each wine is unique in their own way like people. I’d have to say the No Shame is the go-to right now. Served chilled, it has you feeling refreshed. Pure Aloha.”
The goal is to make the wine & music a pairing like you would with cheese. Kaleo encourages you to: “put on the album, crack open some wine and really tap into how you feel in that moment. Try not to think of the past, try not to worry too much about the future, just how do you feel at that moment when you’re drinking the wine and pairing it with the music.”
You can pick up a bottle Pepper wine, including the No Shame Chardonnay at TheWineBoss.net
Listen: Pepper – “Nice Time”
Related Links:
The Wine Boss Website
Pepper Website
Kaleo Wassman Website
Law Records Website
Article By: Mike Patti