Nancy Ulloa; Mystical Wines Made with Intention
“Life is too short. You got to go out there. If you have the desire to learn or pursue something, set the intention and put in the work. Look for resources, mentorship, and opportunities. There are organizations out there that are ready to help. Just go for it – you got it.”
Nancy Ulloa, founder and winemaker at Ulloa Cellars, was born in Mexico and moved to Salinas, California at the age of 12 with her family. She attended San Jose State – a college close enough to home that she could easily visit family but far enough away that she was able to spread her wings. Passionate about helping others, she majored in sociology with a concentration in community change and a minor in philosophy. “I wanted to connect with people and work with nonprofits. I learned about different cultures, how to relate to people, and how to start conversations.”
While earning her degree, Nancy worked in fine dining. A self-proclaimed foodie, she enjoyed the restaurant industry and credits her time there as sparking her interest in wine production.
After escaping an abusive relationship, she realized her autonomy to choose what she wanted to do with her life.
“I’m a domestic violence survivor. Leaving that relationship was not just liberating, in terms of being able to liberate myself from someone who was controlling me, but it also sparked deep passion for life. I felt for a long time I was controlled, and I couldn’t do the things that I wanted to do.”
“If you were to choose any kind of life, what would it look like? Regardless of what your degree says or what your parents think that you should do – what would you actually like to do? Right away, my answer was wine. I wanted to get my hands dirty.”
So, she saved all her money and moved to wine country in January 2017. In 2018, she started working at Seven Oxen in Paso Robles. Hired as manager but eager to learn about production with dreams of being a winemaker one day, Nancy asked to have access to all winery operations and knowledge. She recalls her boss’s response: “You want to work extra for the same, right? Welcome to the team.”
She has been in Paso Robles ever since, continuing to put herself in the light of learning, soaking up every opportunity and growing her own brand, Ulloa Cellars. Nancy has continued to work at Seven Oxen where she is the Director of Sales and Hospitality.
The philosophy
With one glance at Ulloa Cellars’ website, you’ll quickly notice that Nancy’s approach to winemaking is unlike any you’ve seen before. “Manifesting Mystical Wines into Existence” reads the text posted alongside a dreamy image of a crowned Nancy in her cellar. Nancy has been on a spiritual journey for the last 17 years, utilizing the law of attraction, manifestation, positive affirmations, and meditation to connect with the universe and become a better person. When she began making wine, her daily practices naturally made their way into her process.
Goddesses & crystals
“I have always been attracted to goddesses from different cultures. I have studied them and there’s some that I feel very drawn to. I call them in for guidance and I have altars all over my house with different goddesses. When I made my first wine, I named each of my barrels after a different goddess.”
Nancy currently has 30 unique goddesses in her cellar. “There’s of course, Aphrodite, some Hindu goddesses, some Greek goddesses.” Nancy chooses her goddesses through carefully conducted research. “I pick the ones to which I am most drawn, get to know them a little better, then give them a barrel to infuse the wines with those feminine vibes.”
Passionately protective and loving towards her wines, Nancy refers to her barrels as her babies.“I would go home and be like ‘my poor babies are alone in the cellar!’ I wanted them to know that they were loved and protected and I’m thinking of them.”
To remedy this, Nancy created unique strands of crystals, similar looking to a necklace, that she places on top of her barrels. The crystals are never in direct contact with the wine. “We don’t have to ingest crystals for us to get the healing qualities from them – we can just be in close proximity.” For Nancy, her wines “are everything” to her and she would never jeopardize their quality.
Be unapologetic, be authentic
Once Ulloa Cellars opened their first tasting room, Nancy was admittedly a bit hesitant about her vision.
“Each wine has a crystal assigned, a goddess assigned, and it also has an affirmation on the back of the bottle. I wanted my tasting room to reflect who I am as a person and my ideology. I also wanted to provide an experience. I asked my fiancé ‘Can I provide a crystal pairing for people to come and sit down and actually take one home?’ He was like ‘Babe, It’s your brand! You can do whatever you want.’
I was afraid people weren’t going to be receptive of it. But this offering has brought an incredible amount of people. I say, ‘People come for the crystals and stay for the wine.’”
Sharing her spirituality has allowed Nancy to get creative and show her genuine personality in her brand.
Stop by Ulloa Cellars tasting room in Paso Robles if you want to hear Nancy talk about “whatever it is [her] heart wants to talk about…crystals, metaphysical…past experiences, just being a woman in the wine industry or being a Latina forging a path for other women in the wine industry.”
Meet the ladies
“I specialize in the production of obscure whites. I love white wine. I want to make wine that I want to drink, and I want the wines to be an extension of me so that people can understand me through my wines.”
“Someone told me once, ‘your wine should be light and fun.’ And I’m like, ‘Heck no! I want my wines to be the main course.’”
2022 Grüner Veltliner – $36
“She’s very sassy. She has a lot of personality and a lot of complexity. She’s very outspoken. You’re smelling, you’re tasting and you want more because there’s so much going on. You’re trying to figure her out.”
2023 Albariño – $38
“There are tropical vibes to her. Very free spirit, also very caring.”
2023 Pinot Blanc – $42
“Giving tribute to the goddess Durga. Durga is a Hindu warrior goddess. She has this fierceness to her. In the wine, it’s translated into fierce tenderness. It just very aromatic and super silky and beautiful.”
Stop by Ulloa Cellars tasting room in Paso Robles on Saturdays and Sundays if you want to hear Nancy talk about “whatever it is [her] heart wants to talk about…crystals, metaphysical…past experiences, just being a woman in the wine industry or being a Latina forging a path for other women in the wine industry.”
Editor
Natalie is co-founder and editor of The Grapevine Magazine where she helps winemakers big and small tell their stories. She lives in Manhattan, New York City.
