La Marea means "the flow of the tide" in Spanish. Ian felt that in recent California (especially in the Monterey region), there are too many wines with terroir, with too much fruit and oak, and he decided to change the "flow" with his own wine, so this wine's name reflects his determination to change the "flow". La Marea means "the flow of the tide" in Spanish. Ian felt that in recent California (especially in the Monterey region), there are too many wines with terroir, with too much fruit and oak, and he decided to change the "flow" with his own wine, so this wine's name reflects his determination to change the "flow". This wine is full of Albariño and the strong winds of the Salinas Valley. You can feel lemon, lime, stone fruit, white peach, minerals, seawater, etc., and enjoy a long finish full of freshness. La Marea means "the flow of the tide" in Spanish. Ian felt that in recent California (especially in the Monterey region), there were too many wines with fruit and oak flavors, and few wines that had a sense of terroir. He wanted to change the trend with his own wine, and that's why he named this wine "I Brand".
I Brand does not have a fancy tasting room decorated with artworks, nor does it have a famous winemaking consultant. For owner and winemaker Ian Brand, running a winery is simply about making delicious table wines that can be enjoyed every day and releasing them to the world. Making $300 wines using grapes from famous wine regions is easy for anyone with the funds. Ian's goal is to make wines with a strong sense of acidity and minerals in Monterey County, which is well established as a grape-producing region but still has many great (cheap) vineyards if you look for them.
Ian started the winery with his wife Heather in 2007. The reason they chose Monterey was because they felt that Monterey wines, which were characterized by their oak aromas and "sloppy" flavors, had become mainstream and they wanted to break this trend.
"What exactly has been the 'development' in California wine over the past 20 years? Technological advances, cloning research, VSP tailoring, winemaking equipment incorporating the latest technology. Have all of this really improved California wine? Rather, haven't they sucked the soul out of the wine and the winemakers? Has the passion and traditional art been lost?"
Ian believes that the technological advances in California winemaking and brewing have caused a reversal of everything, so he is trying to go back to the basics in Monterey. The essence of the I.Brand lies in the well-cultivated fields, the grapes that grow there, and the gentle brewing techniques and sensibilities that do not erase the individuality of each grape.
In 2019, he was named Winemaker of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle, a national newspaper in the United States, and became an instant star. However, for Ian, this achievement and fame were just one step.