Photos by Matt Sayles
40 Under 40 Tastemaker 2020 Christopher Christensen, 39
Head Honcho/Winesmith, Bodkin Wines; Head Coach, Christensen Winecraft Coaching, Healdsburg, CA
Bubble innovator
Originally from Iowa, Christensen is inspired by the Shakespeare phrase, “We few, we happy few.” He purports to make America’s first sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, in addition to Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and other grapes from across Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Bodkin is named for a type of arrowhead used by peasant Englishmen against armored French in the Hundred Years’ War. “Anytime you get to stick it to the French in this business, you have to,” he says. The wines are low in alcohol, high in acidity, limited in oak and meant to be approachable and easy drinking. Christensen also started a coaching business to help clients learn winemaking philosophy and process by, as he says, “explaining the whys, as opposed to telling them what to do.”
Instagram: @BodkinWines
