Nancy Gonzalez Ulloa Powers Her Way Into Wine
Nancy Gonzalez Ulloa grew up far from a culture of fine wine. She emigrated from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to Salinas, California at the age of 12, and knew just as much about wine as she could speak the English language — very little. She acclimated to the U.S., learned English and later earned a degree from San Jose State University in Sociology with an emphasis on community change. While working in fine dining to make ends meet, Nancy took classes about oenology, the science of wine and winemaking. The more she experienced the intricacies of wine, the more her intuition told her winemaking was her path to follow.
Nancy, the strong-willed creator of Ulloa Cellars, released the first wine under the label in May 2020, a 2019 Grüner Veltliner — a bright, white with peppery notes and the sweetness of stone fruit. Every bottle made sold in just a few weeks, so Nancy powered on to produce more. Later last year, Ulloa Cellars added two white varietals — an albariño grown in Edna Valley, as well as a verdejo, an exclusive white varietal with just one acre of crop planted in all of San Luis Obispo County.
And while her success has overshadowed her struggles, it is the uphill battles that have directed Nancy’s life. After surviving domestic violence abuse Nancy found deep gratitude for life’s joys, and it was because of this that she leapt and relocated to Paso Robles.
She knew no one in town. All she knew was that Paso Robles was a wine town mentioned often, and a place with a vast network of exceptional winemakers. Not one to look back, she says, “I had nothing to lose.”
Now, through her wine label, Nancy’s top priority is to empower people of color, to help them feel welcomed to experience wine’s magic and complexity and be comfortable doing so. She has heard BIPOC friends and family express being intimidated by wine, from tasting to education, a feeling not lost on Nancy. She now works to inspire people through seemingly simple yet effective steps, like teaching them the challenging terminology.
Ulloa’s expressive white varietals pair deliciously with dishes that reveal multiple layers of flavor, such as Nancy’s mother’s pork pozole. This traditional Mexican dish is a hands-down favorite, and during the fall harvest, when workers spend countless hours crushing grapes and making wine, they are fed pozole, pause to taste a moment of joy together and then return to achieving their common goal.
Ulloa Cellars Pozole
(serves 6)
INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds pork, cut into ¾-inch cubes (mixture of shoulder and loin back ribs. Bones and fatty meat bring out the best flavors of this dish.)
9 gallons, 5 cups and 2.5 cups of water
1½ tablespoons salt
6 dry guajillo peppers
2 dry ancho peppers
1½ tablespoons Knorr tomato bouillon with chicken flavor
1 head garlic
½ large white onion, sliced
1 29-ounce can Mexican-style hominy, drained and rinsed
For garnish:
¼ head cabbage, shredded
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 radishes, sliced
12 lime wedges
Tortilla chips (optional)
PREPARATION
Step 1
Rinse and clean pork. Place cleaned pork in a large pot and boil in 9 gallons of water and salt. When white foam is released from meat, scoop the foam out with a spoon.
Step 2
While pork continues to boil, slice open all dry peppers and remove stems and seeds. Wash. Place peppers and 5 cups water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once cooked, drain peppers, lay on a plate and place inside refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and place peppers in a blender with 2½ cups of water. Blend until fine. Add this mixture to the boiling meat.
Step 3
Add tomato bouillon, whole garlic, onion and hominy to the boiling meat. Add more tomato bouillon, to personal taste. (I always add more of this instead of salt.) When meat is tender, the pozole is ready!
Step 4
Spoon pozole into bowls. Add garnishes to each. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
