A taste all its own

By: Lillian Norminton

Wine acumen and knowledge is not an easy thing to amass. Oftentimes, world traveling is the minimum starting point even with the increased global availability of brands and vintages spanning essentially every continent who will allocate land for vineyards and wine production.

One of Napa Valley’s newest residents – Steve Ebol – represents one such expert whose knowledge includes many of the world’s premier wine regions, including the valley’s own 16 nested appellations, and he is happy to share his knowledge. 

A frequent traveler, he has visited many of the world’s most famous wine regions. Passionate about wine, with a deep understanding of viticulture and the wine business, he has a breadth of knowledge about wine production, grape cultivation and the history of wine on par with any historian devoted to the field. 

Ebol especially loves the beauty of the growth cycle in the vineyard, from dormancy to bud break to fruit development to harvest and bottling. He is delighted to live in a town where so many residents are members and appreciators of the wine industry.

Outside his time working with and enjoying the industry, Ebol remains a pilot after acquiring his license 45 years ago while living in Las Vegas.

His knowledge of wine and his love for the local brands made him the perfect fit for the launch of one of the area’s newest offerings, the Levendi Tasting Room on 1st Street which launched in mid-2022. Ebol was one of the brand’s first fans at inception and placed the first-ever order for Levendi’s Sweetwater Cabernet Sauvignon.

A stop by Levendi’s tasting room will grant any expert or new wine enjoyer a special tasting experience from Ebol, who can be found serving the brand’s award-winning range of wines.