Nevada Sunset Winery, Reno, and Boyle MacDonald Wines, Murphys. Answered in writing, October 2026.
This fall Kate Boyle MacDonald has been racing the weather. Harvest is in, and she and her husband, Craig, sold their winery business in Murphys in the last week of October, so every gallon of bulk wine she still has in the Sierra foothills has to come over the mountains to Reno before the big storms arrive. She told me so in an email one evening, apologizing for being slow to write back, and explained that after twenty-eight harvests in Murphys she was consolidating down to one label on this side of the Sierra.
Anyone who lives on either side of those mountains knows the November version of that trip, the chains in the trunk and the long look at the forecast before deciding whether there is one more clear day to get across. For years Kate made the crossing in the other direction, after the work was done. As soon as the last ferment finished each fall, she and Craig drove over to Reno and booked a day at a spa, and they kept one rule for it, which was no wine, because by then wine felt like work. Those trips are how they came to know the town, and in 2023 they bought Nevada Sunset Winery on East Fourth Street from its founders, Mike Steedman and Alynn Delisle.
The twenty-eight harvests began in 1999 at Stevenot Winery in Murphys, where Kate took her first job in a cellar under Chuck Hovey. A few days in, he gave her the job of gassing the Zinfandel tanks, and the question she brought back to him afterward made him burst out laughing. She tells that story herself in her answer to the eleventh question. It is the moment she says she was hooked for life.
She spent five years as Hovey's assistant winemaker. Stevenot sat on the old San Domingo Ranch outside Murphys, where Barden Stevenot planted his first vineyard in 1974, and so many of the county's winemakers passed through that property on the way to their own labels that Kate still names Barden as the legend of the place. Hovey had come to Stevenot in 1983 and ran its winemaking for twenty years. He mentored several of the people who make wine in Calaveras County today, Kate among them, and he died in 2019.
When she went out on her own she worked with two small start-ups and spent thirteen years as consulting winemaker for Ayrael Vieux Vineyards, making the owners' wine beside them in the cellar until they knew how to make it themselves. With Craig she planted a family estate vineyard in Napa Valley to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and tended it for the better part of twenty years, and the wine from it became Boyle MacDonald Wines, with a tasting room on Main Street in Murphys. She works by hand on small equipment, tipping the picking bins into the destemmer one at a time where a bigger winery would use a forklift, and she doesn't use new oak, because in her wines it ends up as the center of attention. She has always wanted that forklift, though, and says so.
Until Nevada changed the law in 2015, Washoe County couldn't have a winery at all. Steedman and Delisle helped push that change through and opened Nevada Sunset in 2017 as the county's first wine production facility, and Kate makes the wine there now, in the Brewery District, with Craig beside her in the tasting room most afternoons. I've been in to see her there this year. When I first wrote to her about this series, in September, she answered that she had no time to think about it until the new year, which was fair for a winemaker in September. A month later she sat down during a two-hour stretch when nobody came through the tasting room door and answered all twenty.
At the end she wrote that fitting twenty-eight years into twenty answers was a challenge. The wine she would pour for a stranger is the 2013 Cabernet Franc from the Napa vineyard she and Craig planted, the best wine she has ever made, and she wouldn't say a word before handing it over. Kate is the first woman winemaker in the series. These are her answers to the twenty questions every winemaker in this series is asked.
1.Who taught you? Say the name.
My mentor was the late Chuck Hovey. I worked under Chuck as his assistant winemaker at Stevenot Winery in Murphys, CA, for 5 years before going out on my own and working with 2 small start-ups as well as planting my own Napa Valley vineyard and developing my own brands.
2.Who have you taught? Where are they now?
I have not had a mentee per se. My operation is too small to have employees. I was the consulting winemaker for the Ayrael Vieux Vineyards brand from 2006 to 2019, all the while training the owners of the vineyard how to produce and what the process was. It was a collaborative effort in that they learned on the job as we made their wines side by side in the style they were shooting for.
3.Which vintages do you date your life by?
Every vintage since I've joined the wine industry, to be honest. The reason I wanted to become a winemaker was because I knew my career would be exciting from start to finish. Every year, every vintage brings new opportunities, new challenges, new experiences, new relationships, new memories. My adult life has been a wine life. I can't really distinguish vintage by vintage, because my life has been all about wine since 1999.
4.What has changed in the trade since you started that somebody your age would notice and a new hire would walk right past?
There have been so many dramatic changes in the last nearly 30 years, it's hard to pick one. But one change that many people can relate to has been the popularity of wine tasting as an experience in and of itself. Wine tasting started as an opportunity for guests to sample and learn about wines in order to make an informed decision about which wines they wanted to purchase. This is why the industry did not charge for tastings early on. It was expected that the tasting would result in a purchase. Today, the intended purchase is often the wine tasting experience itself. It has become a great way to educate yourself about wine, socialize with the folks behind and at the bar, and enjoy a tasty experience. It's been interesting to observe. The older generation who remembers complimentary wine tastings have had a hard time adjusting to having to pay, while the younger generations don't blink an eye at paying for the experience.
5.Walk me through a day at the peak of harvest, hour by hour.
Harvest is both the most exciting and the most exhausting days of the year. The night before harvest all of the equipment is sanitized and set up on the crush pad. Sanitation is about 90% of the job. It's impossible to make great wine without clean equipment and methods. Harvest often starts at night or well before sunup with headlamps and the hope that the fruit will come off the vines before the sun starts warming the vineyard. The colder we can get the fruit to the crush pad, the better. We harvest completely by hand and then continue with that method in the winery. The fruit is taken to be destemmed and crushed. We sort through the bins by hand to clear any leaves, sticks, etc. We load harvest picking bins with fruit and dump the bins one by one into the destemmer, unlike larger operations who use a forklift to dump the full grape harvest bins directly into the crusher. The grape clusters are destemmed and then lightly crushed directly to the press or to fermentation bins. For whites the grapes go directly to the press. Reds go to fermentation bins. Over the course of the day and evening, I run labs and determine the initial protocols for all of the different wines and make any additions or adjustments to juice or must that are necessary immediately. The rest of the day and evening is spent cleaning. Since we do everything by hand on small production equipment, the cleanup process often takes most of the day. Then we finish the day by drinking a beer.
6.What decision do you make that you cannot fully explain to somebody else?
I know a lot of winemakers have cellar staff who carry out methods and practices based off of a written work order for the day. I've never been able to make wine from a preconceived plan. My decisions are always made day-of, after I stick my nose in the ferment. I usually go into the day with an expectation, but more often than not the ferment has taken over control, and I'm just there to assist it in what it needs for the day. I let the ferment dictate the schedule.
7.Tell me about a harvest that went wrong. Start at the beginning.
I can honestly say I've never had a harvest go wrong. There are always logistical challenges, always unforeseen issues with equipment, timing, shortages of help. But at the end of the day the fruit always gets crushed, always gets buttoned up and ready to take on the next day. Sometimes the end of the day is well into the late night or even the early hours of the next morning, but it doesn't go "wrong" per se. You just have to be ready for hiccups. Every harvest has them, and I can't imagine any harvest that could be described as perfect.
8.Who is the legend around here? Somebody people tell stories about.
Most of my winemaking experience is from Murphys, CA. I am recently new to the Reno wine scene. Murphys has a grand history with so many pioneers. I'd like to count myself as a contributor to the development of the Calaveras wine industry. I'd have to say, from a personal perspective, that Barden Stevenot is in my mind the biggest legend in the area. Barden started planting grapes in Calaveras County in the early 1970s, and really helped to be the instigator of the wine industry rebirth in Calaveras County. My first job was at Stevenot Winery, and many of the local winemakers spent time working at Stevenot or having some sort of connection to Barden's property. I really credit him with putting Murphys on the wine map, and inspiring so many to follow in his footsteps, planting grapes and opening wineries.
9.Is there something that happens at the end of crush every year? Same thing, same way.
One of the reasons we discovered Reno, and ultimately ended up moving to Reno and purchasing Reno's only full production winery, is because my husband and I had the tradition of booking a spa day at one of the Reno spas as soon as harvest ended each year. Harvest is grueling. It beats you up physically and mentally, not a lot of sleep is had, and if you did it right, you should be exhausted when the final ferment is complete. Our tradition is to always treat ourselves to a day or two of self care, and we don't allow ourselves to drink wine during that day or two (that feels like work after an intense harvest).
10.What do people outside the trade always get wrong about this work?
It's not fancy. I think a lot of people think this industry is glamorous and only fun, and that we are all wealthy. The job is about farming, sticky and strenuous manual labor, and the hope that someone will enjoy all of that blood, sweat, tears, and joy that went into making a bottle of wine. It's really a passion project ultimately, especially at my scale of production. The big operations might make a decent profit, but I do it so that I can always have an incredible bottle of wine available, no matter what the day of the week, the occasion, or the food I'm pairing with it. Some of my favorite glasses of wine are paired with popcorn and a good movie.
Some of my favorite glasses of wine are paired with popcorn and a good movie.
11.What's the first thing you got wrong, and who caught it?
My mentor, Chuck Hovey, tasked me with gassing the tanks in one of my earlier weeks working in the cellar. When there is a pocket of air in a tank, the "headspace" above the wine level, the air has to be purged from the tank by introducing a heavy gas to basically act as a blanket on the surface of the wine and prevent any adverse effects oxygen exposure can have when it comes in contact with the wine. Well, my first experience was one of my favorite experiences of my entire career. Gassing the tanks was a coveted job because as you push the air out of the tanks, the aromas emanating from the headspace are amazing. It's really akin to aromatherapy. After my very first gassing job was done, Chuck asked me how everything went. I told him it was heavenly smelling all of the black pepper coming off the Zinfandel tank. Then I proceeded to ask him if the black pepper was introduced into the wine during fermentation, or did he add black peppercorn after fermentation to the pressed wine. He looked at me as if I had two heads, then burst out laughing. He explained to me that all of the flavors and aromas that you perceive in wine as other distinct fruits, herbs, spices, etc. are inherent in the grape and a result of yeast selection during fermentation, along with healthy fermentation practices. It was at that moment, only days into my new cellar job, that I was hooked for life. I could not fathom how one fruit, one batch of grapes, could taste and smell like everyday recognizable flavors and aromas. I find wine fascinating and that fascination never diminishes.
12.Is there something you still do the way you were taught, even though you know a faster way exists?
100% of my winemaking methods are the most inefficient way to go about it. But I wouldn't trade it. I've helped out on automated crush pads and bottling lines. They are also fun and have a certain charm, but doing everything by hand makes me feel like the wine tastes better. I always wished I could have a forklift, especially as I get older and struggle physically. But I suppose I'm set in my ways.
13.What were you taught that you've since stopped doing?
I don't ever use brand new oak. I decided very early on that my style of winemaking doesn't lend itself to using new oak. In the style of wines I make, it overpowers the wine and becomes the center of attention. Early on in my career it was implied that the amount of new barrels in your vintage program determined your worth as a wine brand: the more new oak you put in your program, the more prestigious your brand. I used to be intimidated by that and question whether I should be buying new barrels. After all these years I have become confident in my methods and proudly let people know I don't use new oak if they ask.
14.Is there a tank or a piece of equipment that has a name?
Over the years there have been many. The equipment often has a story. I have to admit, mostly the names are earned when the pieces of equipment give me a hard time, and it's not polite conversation for me to share those specific names.
15.Somebody walks in knowing nothing about wine. What do they already know that you can build on?
There's not a single thing someone needs to know about wine, or the wine tasting experience. If they are willing to taste my wines, they just need to tell me if they have a preference of one over others. Then I can build on that. It's also easy to ask a few simple questions about someone's favorite foods and beverages. I can usually pick out a wine they might like based on their preferred flavor palate.
16.Whoever pours your wine for a stranger, what do they need to know that isn't in the tasting notes?
Again, they don't need to know anything. It's the guest who decides what they like, and also how much they want to even know about the product. Some people just want to taste wine blind, without notes or any background to influence them. Then again, lots of folks want the full experience. For the full experience, the person pouring my wines should know at least a little about my background, and hopefully they will convey that my heart and soul are in these bottles.
17.What would someone have to watch you do to understand your wine? Something the glass doesn't give them.
I suppose it's hard to taste just how much hard work goes into every sip. But that's my burden, not the guest's. Hopefully they can taste the difference between handcrafted, passionate wines versus everyday mass-produced wines. But then again, if you like a mass-produced wine more than mine, you're certainly not wrong. Who am I to tell you what to like best? My goal is for the glass to over-deliver, and have the guest understand the wine in a surprising way that they weren't expecting.
18.What's your favorite wine that you don't make? Describe it without using tasting notes.
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. There's just something about every NZ Sauvignon Blanc I've ever had that makes me smile. I would describe it as a smile in a bottle.
19.When you make a great one, do you know right away? What comes to mind when it happens, a place or something you remember?
I know right after fermentation. During fermentation I figure all bets are off. The wine is going to be whatever Mother Nature wanted it to be. Sometimes I allow myself to get really excited in the vineyard, maybe recognizing something a little different than usual, something a little more special or unique. But I wait until the wine proves itself after the fermentation is complete.
20.One pour, one stranger. Which wine, and what do you say before they taste it?
I don't say anything. I don't want to influence their opinion. But I'd pour them my family vineyard's Napa Valley 2013 Cabernet Franc. I credit it as being the best wine I've ever made. It's the full package. If I believed in wine judging (which I don't because, again, who am I to tell you what you should like?), I'd give that one 100 points.
Kate Boyle MacDonald answered in writing in October 2026, and some details come from her correspondence with me that fall. Background on Chuck Hovey and Stevenot Winery is drawn from Wine Industry Advisor and MyMotherLode, on the sale of Nevada Sunset Winery from This Is Reno (October 2023), and on Boyle MacDonald Wines from Go Calaveras and Nevada Sunset Winery.
Patrick R. Dunn trained in narrative at the University of Maine under Stephen King and folklorist Edward "Sandy" Ives, and spent thirty years leading global crisis management and operational resilience teams across four continents, through 9/11, Katrina, and Sandy. He spent more than a decade as a National Park Service interpretive ranger and is WSET Level 3 certified. Through his practice, Vianarra, he works with winery owners, boutique hotels, and restaurants on how they tell their story. He writes about wine and hospitality every week at newsletter.vianarra.com.