What goes into a bottle of wine? What’s behind the label? Where does your favorite wine come from?

To be clear, I’m not asking about the location of the vineyard or tasting room. I’m not asking about the varietal, whether the winemaker used French or American oak, or how long the wine was aged. I’m talking here about people. I’m talking about the person whose name is on the label. For some consumers, that means something.

For others (and perhaps for most), price and quality are what matter. Many consumers are not particularly interested in who makes the wine they buy – ...

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When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When it gives you olives, make extra virgin oil.

Jim and Andrea Mayer, who started the Frate Sole Olive Oil Company, have taken that lesson to heart – and built a growing business in the process. Frate Sole is a small-production, high-quality extra virgin olive oil produced in Yolo County on the Mayers’ 20-acre farm outside Woodland, Calif. I met Jim and Andrea in late July, sampled their oil, and spent part of a warm Sunday afternoon talking to them about how they got started in the olive oil business.

As it turns out, producing olive ...

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