When David Sedeno made his first wines, he was advised to create a story to help define them. He chose a word from his Hawaiian heritage: pono, a many-layered term centered on righteousness and balance.
“Pono is the greatest word in the Hawaiian language,” Sedeno said.
His family has deep roots in old Hawaii. His great-great-great-grandmother, Kahanu‘lanio‘keahi Meek, for example, was a friend and lady- in-waiting of Queen Lili’uokalani.
Sedeno spent his childhood in Kalihi, but graduated from Kaiser High in 1982. After a decade in the Air Force as a firefighter, he moved to Roseville, Calif., near Sacramento, where he fought fires for another 25 years until his retirement in 2016.
His retirement profession is winemaking: “It’s not as exciting as running into a burning building, but it’s still very exciting.”
Sedeno returns to the islands often to visit family and to promote Pono Wines. He was in town last week, hosting a wine-pairing dinner at Tango Contemporary Cafe.
Sedeno traces his interest in wines to his first visits to Napa Valley, not far from Roseville, and said he quickly became enthralled. His work schedule of two 24-hour shifts on, four days off — “you had a lot of time to get into trouble” — allowed him to start a side career as a wine broker. Then came the chance to make his own wine.
The idea was planted by his friend Grant Long Jr., owner and winemaker of Aonair Wines, who is Pono’s consulting wine maker. “He makes sure I don’t screw it up.”
The first Pono Wines’ releases were in 2015 — Hoku, a white blend, and Hapa, a red blend, both — just 50 cases of each. Sedeno said they sold out in 90 days by word of mouth. The next year he added Mana, a cabernet sauvignon.
Pono’s young lifespan has paralleled a tumultuous time for Napa vineyards. In 2015 heavy rains curtailed grape production, but 2016 was a very strong year. In 2017 came devastating wildfires, followed by another good period — “2018 was a perfect growing year,” Sedeno said.
These ups and downs affect bottle releases years later. In 2017, for example, the white grapes for the Hoku blend were picked before the fires, but not the red, so there will be no 2017 Hapa or Mana vintages. The bounty of 2016, however, with those wines to be released this fall, will sustain the winery until the 2018 vintage is ready, Sedeno said.
Next: a sparkling wine called Alii, with 50 to 60 cases to be released in the fall. Production of the original trio of wines has about doubled in four years, and Sedeno’s aim is 2,000 to 3,000 cases per year, limited enough to allow him to control quality, but large enough to expand retail and restaurant sales.
Sedeno’s wines are sold only through the Pono website and a tasting room in downtown Napa that is open by appointment only. And it’s not just swirling, sipping and spitting: The tasting room has a full kitchen, so Sedeno will arrange a meal paired to his wines, then sit with his visitors to talk about them. “I do every appointment personally,” he said. “I’m a retired firefighter, I’ve got a lot of time.”
To purchase Pono Wines or arrange a visit to the tasting room, visit ponowines.com, call 786-759-1247 or email info@ponowines.com. The wines sell for $50 to $110 per bottle.
