The Clever Root

Spring 2018

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7 2 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t WINE COUNTRY BOTANICALS CAPTURES THE AROMATIC ESSENCE OF SONOMA, NAPA, AND SANTA BARBARA by Jesse Hom-Dawson Wine Country Botanicals Owner/Founder Nicole Simpkins. PRODUCTS WE'RE USING A Taste for Scents SCENTED PRODUCTS AND wine tasting typically don't mix, and for good reason: Any enophile can tell you that outside smells can interfere with a wine's bouquet and aromas. But for Nicole Simp- kins, Founder of bath and body product company Wine Country Botanicals, the rule simply proffered a boundary worth breaking. Although Simpkins had worked in the wine industry since her early twenties, it wasn't until she spent time as Co-Owner and Manager of Lancaster Estate Winery and Roth Winery in Healdsburg, Cali- fornia, that she felt drawn to start a wine-inspired product line in 2010. "Once I had children and wanted to take a more natural approach to cleaning and healing, I started researching essential oils," Simpkins recalls. "I discovered that the oils have a lot in common with grapes and winemaking." For starters, blending plays an essential role in both mediums: to achieve the ideal flavor in wine and to create a sense of synergy in oils. Aging is yet another shared component, as is the importance of terroir: "Certain plants grow better in certain climates and soils," Simpkins notes.

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