Olympian exchanges skates for Syrah

by Julia Hollister

These days you won’t find Olympic gold medal skater Peggy Fleming on ice. Instead, she might be checking winegrape vines at her family’s Santa Cruz Mountain winery.

“In 1999 we planted an acre of Chardonnay and loved the look and began to learn more about winegrape growing,” she said. “My husband (retired dermatologist Greg Jenkins) took classes in viticulture at University of California-Davis to learn more science and chemistry.”

Fleming, who grew up near Morgan Hill (Santa Cruz County), won several national and world figure skating titles before winning the gold at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. But, Fleming does not sit on her laurels. When she is not at the winery she makes personal appearances throughout the nation to promote Fleming Jenkins Winery and Vineyards. As a breast cancer survivor, she remains a fierce advocate for breast cancer awareness and research. “Victories”, a dry rose, was created to raise funds for this research.

“Although we had a vineyard we were not making our own wine,” Fleming said. “We were selling the grapes to a local winery. Just like in cooking, we wondered how our grapes tasted and that desire hooked us in.”

From the small beginning on one acre, the winery began to take root and reality in 2003 and the wines were first released for sale in 2005. The cool climate and rocky soil makes it ideal for winegrape growing. Four years later the winery, which has a tasting room in Los Gatos, produces 2,200 cases a year.


“We want to produce the best,” she said. “It’s not just slapping our name on a bottle. It’s about our repetition -- mine as an athlete and Greg’s as a physician. I believe competitive skating and winegrape growing are tied together. In both areas, you have to have patience because you don’t become a champion overnight.”

The wines include “Choreography” (a Bordeaux-style blend), Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Chardonnay and Syrah. Prices range from $20 to $50.

Fleming Jenkins gets Syrah grapes from sportscaster John Madden’s Livermore Valley vineyard. After the trip from the hot valley to the winery the grapes soak in cold water for three days. Dr. Jenkins says this process chills down the grapes and leaches out the color into the juice before fermentation.

As to their style of wine, he said their mission is letting the fruit shine through.

You can visit her site at Fleming Jenkins Winery www.flemingjenkins.com

Source article: Olympian exchanges skates for Syrah