Maria Mayes: [00:00:00] Well, welcome back Chakras and Chardonnay listeners. I'm so excited for this conversation. I have with me today Nancy Ulloa and she is a female winemaker out of beautiful Paso Robles and she Well, I'll let her get into it, but let me just teach you that she pairs her wines with crystals. So if anything says chakras and chardonnay, it's this.

So I'm so excited to have you here with me, Nancy. Thank you so much for being here. 

Nancy Ulloa: Thank you so much for the opportunity to be here. I really appreciate you. 

Maria Mayes: So I appreciate you too. And I appreciate all the beautiful wine babies you've been creating. So I would love for you to just introduce us to how you got into wine making.

What drew you in and tell us a little bit about your journey, if you don't mind. 

Nancy Ulloa: Awesome. Well, thank you so much. I just want to thank you for the opportunity to be here and share my story with your [00:01:00] listeners. It's such an honor. And I know we've been, um, trying to set up, uh, um, you know, a recording and it just, we're both so busy that I do appreciate your patience, but I do believe that, um, you know, trusting in sacred timing, it's the best thing.

And so I think that this is the best, um, Um, opportunity for me where I am with my journey to be able to share what's going on and what's coming up. So, uh, my name is Nancy Ulloa. Um, I am the owner, winemaker, and boss lady of Ulloa Cellars. Um, I am based in Paso Robles, California. I moved to Paso Robles in 2017 to pursue a career in winemaking without any previous formal experience.

Education and winemaking. Um, and I am making my dreams come true out here. So, um, I'm just very passionate about sharing my story because I feel like a lot of the times us as human beings, uh, with, you know, all these notions that [00:02:00] haven't passed down to us, there's a lot of limitations that we have without us even realizing that they're there, uh, because we believe that to be our.

I was able to, uh, through some experiences in my life to be able to, um, to question those limiting beliefs, um, and by, uh, by doing and by putting myself out there, I was able to overcome some of these limitations. I'm not going to say all my limitations because I'm a work in progress, and I do believe that even though I have manifested so much in my life, There's a lot more coming, um, as soon as I'm able to detach myself from these limitations.

Uh, but my journey started, uh, in terms of, you know, my career with wine, um, started much before I made my first wine and it all came from an idea, um, which I feel like, you know, we all get a lot of really good ideas, but it [00:03:00] wasn't until like, I. Received this download and, um, decided that that was going to be my path that I started to work towards that with everything and every intention, every kind of direction that I could have towards getting to that goal.

Um, I, before moving to Paso Robles, I was living up in San Jose, California. Um, where I went to, uh, to college. I went to San Jose state, uh, where I studied sociology where the concentration and community change, and I also, uh, decided to minor in philosophy. I, you know, I took a couple of classes that I really enjoyed, and I was something that, you know, I really wanted to do.

Really helped me to, you know, like I said, again, like question, you know, what's out there in the universe question, the beliefs that I was raised with question, a lot of different things that really have led me to my path. And so while I was working, while I was going [00:04:00] to, uh, to college, I also, uh, was working in fine dining.

Um, because that's, you know, I just, um, I think the hospitality, you know, Part of my life came a long time before, you know, I was even aware of it. Um, 12. And when we lived in Mexico, my dad actually was a waiter for a high end restaurant in Mexico for over 10 years. And so, um, I think that seeing like his passion for what he did and knowing that It's, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's hospitality, but it really did pay our bills and allowed us to have a certain kind of lifestyle for me.

Once I was in college, I was able to explore that. And like, um, not only was that able to pay for like my rent, but also I, I consider myself to be a foodie. And so working in hospitality and in these [00:05:00] fine dining establishments, I was able to learn a lot about food and things that I haven't learned before.

But, um, what I also started to get, um, kind of like an insight was wine, the wine world, because wine and food go together. And I actually didn't grow up with wine being part of our lifestyle, uh, in my family. Um, my parents don't drink wine. Um, I didn't really have any friends that drank wine, so it wasn't until I started to get exposure and Um, and fine dining that I was able to learn more about wine.

And, um, I remember having the reps come in, you know, because we were selling their wines. And so they would come in and teach us about, um, The wines that we were selling and anytime that they would mention anything that had to do with like fermentations or, you know, like, uh, work in the vineyard or, you know, just varieties, like, I felt this little fire inside me, like, physically, where I was [00:06:00] like, okay, like, I want to know more.

I want to see it done. I want to, like, get my hands dirty. Like, one day I would love to be able to see it done. And so that was just something that was in the back of my head. And I went through a, uh, life changing experience where I was able to leave an abusive relationship in which I felt very trapped.

I felt very controlled. Um, and I, Truly felt like I had no autonomy in terms of what the direction of my life was It was a very tough time in my life But I was able to leave this relationship And when I left this relationship, I asked myself. Wow, like I feel this like really extreme passionate love for life because I was like, I am alive.

I'm able to now live the life that I want to live because I don't have someone controlling me 24 seven. And so I asked myself, and this is a question that I feel like comes up a lot with when I talk about my story is that I really asked [00:07:00] myself, if you could have any kind of life, if you could choose your own path without any kind of boundary or limitation, or what you think you're Parents think that you should do or what your degree says that you should do, like, what would you actually do?

And so, like, there was a lot of excitement in that question because I have never really asked myself that. I didn't even think that I was worthy or I had the ability to choose that. And so I said to myself, um, If I was to choose anything, like I would go for a wine and I'm like, okay, what about wine? I can't just drink wine.

Like I gotta make it out of this. And so I knew that, um, like, uh, going towards the SOM route, something I really wanted, because if I was to become a SOM, I would have to stay working at a restaurant. And that's a thing that I didn't want. I love the, you know, the years of experience I had with fine dining.

[00:08:00] But at the, at the end of the day, I decided to leave that in my past life because I didn't feel like even though there was a lot of money involved, money is not everything. I felt like I was not being intellectually stimulated. Like I felt like there was something missing. I would look at the people around me who had been working in hospitality for decades.

And they looked very unhappy. And I was like, I don't want, I don't want to end up like that. And like, I want to choose something different and I want to learn and I want to like, you know, like work with my hands. Um, and so I decided from that moment on that I was going to move to one country and, uh, pursue a career in wine, in the wine industry and not just in the wine industry, but I really wanted to like work in a cellar.

I knew that I wanted to, like, go somewhere and just ask for mentorship opportunities because through my career in, um, in, uh, non profit organizations, which I did for a long time when I was in San Jose and going to, to college, um, I knew that there was a lot of opportunities for me to [00:09:00] learn through experiences, um, that are not necessarily like me getting a job as a winemaker right away, right off the bat.

And so, um, for a whole year after I made that decision, I like did everything very intentionally in terms of like, uh, getting a job where I was able to, uh, make more money, which I was at an other, at another restaurant that very high end steakhouse where I was able to make more money, but I also had access to wines that I could not afford.

And I started to learn more about wine through that. I, uh, I, um, Um, I took I basically added, uh, added myself to a course to the court of master sums to to be able to get more knowledge before moving. And so, for the whole year, I worked, I studied, I drank wine, I talked about wine, I sold wine. And then at the end of that year in 2017, in January 2017, I moved to Paso Robles.

So that's basically that's a little bit of like how I [00:10:00] decided to intentionally take the steps to move to wine country. And so once I moved to Paso Robles in 2017, I started working at a restaurant where I was Serving to, you know, make tips to, to pay my rent. And then I also, um, started to, uh, work in the wine list.

I was at the restaurant where I was working at. So I became the wine director after a bit. And so that really opened up the doors for me to be able to get not just knowledge in terms of the ones that are being grown in the area, but also, uh, to connect with community, um, restaurants, very popular here in Paso Robles.

And so, uh, there would be a lot of winemakers that would come in and I started to get to know people and like. Um, I've always been very transparent and, like, worn my heart on my sleeve when it comes to, like, the direction of where my life is going to go. So I would tell everyone, like, I, you know, I'm going to work at a winery and, like, I want to, like, learn.

And so I received a few [00:11:00] opportunities, uh, to, um, To work at, you know, wineries. But one of my mentors, actually, the person that pursued me to move to Paso, Paso Robles, she said to me, look like there's 350 wineries in Paso Robles. If you're gonna go and work for someone before you go there, make sure you figure out what kind of wine you want to make, uh, the style, uh, the size of the winery, and make sure that wherever you go, they allow you to learn.

Like, just be intentional, because it's such a small community, even though there's 350 wineries, this is a small community, and you don't want to be bouncing back from place to place, like, you want to find a place that's going to embrace you and allow you to learn. And so, um, after about a year, so in 2018, in April 2018, I started working at San Diego.

Um, which is, uh, up until, uh, I know this is big news up until last Friday, a week ago, I, um, I quit my job [00:12:00] after working there for six years. Uh, and so I quit my job to become, uh, self employed and to go fully into US sellers and give it my full attention. Uh, but, uh, Seven Oxen, when I started working for the company, they're a very good company.

So beautiful, such a beautiful family, great company to work for. When I started working for them in 2018, I was very transparent about the fact that I wanted to learn how to make wine. And so I said, look, um, like I'm looking for a place to basically start learning how to make wine. So if I work for you, cause they offer me this job.

If I work for you, my only condition is that I need access to knowledge. In the vineyard in the cellar and how you're operating business behind, you know, and the back of the house because I want to learn how to do all these things. And I want to help you, but I want to learn. So I need to be there and see it done.

And she's okay. You want to work extra for the same rate, you know, we'll take it. And [00:13:00] so I started working for them in 2018, in April, 2018. And, uh, I, um, it's such a small company that I had the ability to go back and forth from production into hospitality and into like more of like the fulfillment and like licensing and all that stuff to get an idea of what it was going to take for me to start this.

And so, um, so yeah, so I started working there in 2018. Uh, working in, um, in the cellar during the harvest, which was such an amazing experience. And then in 2019, I saved all my money and bought a few barrels and bought one ton of grapes. And that's when I made my first wine. So that's basically it. I made my first wine in 2019.

So I made, I got one ton of grapes, um, a few barrels and I made, uh, my first wine, which is my baby Gruner, my Gruner Bill Liner, 

Maria Mayes: which was one of my favorites, I think it was maybe the 22 [00:14:00] that I, yes. Yeah. 

Nancy Ulloa: Hmm. 

Maria Mayes: Oh my goodness. So. You're coming up on a five year anniversary of your first, or did you pass it already?

Nancy Ulloa: No, it's going to be, it's not going to be my five year anniversary of making it. So amazing. Wow. so 

Maria Mayes: much for sharing that. It's such an inspiring story for anyone looking to go in any type of different industry to listen to that fire inside, that warmth, that hit. You honored that. You honored what your intuition was pushing you to do.

And I'm And by going in in a very intentional way and saying, I want the knowledge, you obtain the knowledge to then launch your own business. So tell us more about, uh, your winery and your wines and this unique concept of pairing wines with crystals. 

Nancy Ulloa: Yeah, well, I think that, you know, um, And whatever it is that I do, I always like to incorporate a little bit of my personality [00:15:00] and my values and the things that really attract me, um, as a consumer and as just as a person.

And, uh, one of the things that I feel that has been a recurring theme in my life is the search for, uh, meaning. The search for meaning, the search for, uh, this conscious knowledge of who I am in relationship to the universe. And so I would say like, I mean, before I would just like, Oh, like, I'm really in tune with these goddesses or like, with, you know, like these concepts of the universe.

But now that I see it, it's like I'm making wine in a very spiritual way. Like I just had that realization a few days ago. And I feel like, you know, the concept doesn't really like It's not something that has been explored a lot with people because you think like wine is not a spiritual product But when you treat it as a spiritual product It could create meaning in your life if you do it consciously and responsibly, of course um, and so ever since um, I was like [00:16:00] 21, I started to question, again, I go back to questioning, right?

Like my beliefs. I grew up, um, religious. I grew up Catholic. And even though, you know, like, I think that religion does, um, bring a lot of, uh, like rules and regulations for people to be able to live in. A life of values at the same time. There was things that didn't really align with like how I saw the world in terms of, uh, like women and their place in society.

And so I asked, you know, I asked myself, um, like, Could God be a woman? Like that was something that I like I asked myself could God be a woman, you know Because I feel so drawn to the feminine aspect of energy in the universe And so I was taking a course at San Jose State, you know One of my philosophy classes and I asked my professor I was like I've been exploring this concept could gotta be a woman He's like Of course it can.

There's a lot of cultures all [00:17:00] over the world that have female deities as their main, uh, their main, you know, um, gods. And so I started to then explore goddesses and the divine feminine in a lot of different cultures. Um, and so that really is how this whole journey started with me incorporating. some of those personalities and to the wines and the winemaking.

Um, and so with the goddesses, it all started with naming my barrels. My first three barrels, I named them names of different goddesses. So, um, I had Kali. Kali is a fierce warrior goddess in the Hindu culture. Um, I had Lakshmi, who is the abundant, uh, abundance goddess also in the Hindu culture. I'm very drawn to that culture.

And then I also had Aphrodite. In Aphrodite, I'm a Virgo and I've always been very attracted to aesthetics and beauty. And so those were the three initial goddesses that [00:18:00] I had in my cellar. Um, and so that's how it started. At the moment, I have about 30 goddesses in my cellar. Each barrel is made still. I continue to name them, um, after different goddesses and, and, uh, different cultures.

So that's one part of how it started. And then the next thing, which was the crystals is, um, I like treat my wines as if they're my babies. I call them my babies. They're a living product because they're changing all the time depending on the situation that they're in, which is very philosophical because that's also like a part of like us, right?

Depending on this life stage that we're going through, we're going to be changing according to our environment. So, um, I like would go home after working in the cellar and I would be like, Oh my gosh, my babies are alone in the cellar. I want to make sure that they know that I, their love I'm protected. So I started bringing some of my crystals and putting them on top of the barrels.

And, um, and that was not the [00:19:00] most sustainable thing to do because the, the crystals would like fall off, you know? So I was like, okay, I need to find another way to bring the crystals in. So I found these like strands of crystals that they look like, mala beads or, you know, or, you know, just necklaces. And I put on top of the barrel.

So each barrel has its own, um, like strand of crystals. Um, and so at first it was just to like protect the wines. But then once I was able to take more time to think about the direction that I wanted. The identity of the brand to go. I was like, okay, like I want to infuse the wines with this energy. I don't just want to protect them.

I want to infuse them with the energy. And so, um, the 1 thing that I always tell people is, you know, I do utilize the crystals or in fermentation and aging of the wine to infuse the wines with energy, whether it is gratitude or, you know, happiness or abundance. The one thing that I will never do is get my put the crystals in contact with the wine.[00:20:00] 

It's something that like I'm very clear about because people are like, oh my gosh, like what is there's something happening with the wines because of the crystals. The wines are the most precious thing that I have. And so I will not jeopardize the quality of the wines with by inserting the crystal.

There is a lot of other wineries that do, um, have the wines be in contact with the crystals. They have these huge. clusters of crystals that they like, you know, they cleanse and like ocean water and under the moon and then they put them in the bottom of the tanks where the fermentations are going to be.

So there's a lot of, there's a few, quite a few wineries that do that. Some of them up in Napa, which I think it's really awesome. Personally, I don't think that we need to necessarily put the crystals in contact with the wind for them to affect us just like us, right? Like the crystals, we don't have to ingest them for them to affect us.

We can just have them in close proximity with intention, and then that will be an infusion that we could do. So I started doing that. And, um, and [00:21:00] then once I decided to, um, to open up my tasting room, which just happened last year in, um, 2023 in July, um, I wanted to take the step further because all of these things that I'm doing with the wines, that's not just to infuse the wines with energy.

Um, But also to, uh, share these tools that I'm learning for healing, for mindful mind, mindfulness, share them with whoever I'm sharing the wines with so that they can have that knowledge. And they could use those tools and their everyday lives to heal themselves and whatever way possible. And so I asked my fiancee, uh, when, you know, it was the Like trying to figure out what the experience in the taste room was gonna be like, because I don't want to just have a place to pour wine.

I want to provide an experience. I want to ignite a feeling for when people walk in the door. And so I asked him, like, can I pair my wines with crystals? Like, is that something that I could do? And he said, babe, It's your brand, you can do whatever [00:22:00] you want. , it was like, oh, like say no more. Like, and so, um, I was able to incorporate that into the taste room and it has been such a blessing, uh, because not only am I like, um, bringing people in, like I, I like, honestly at this point.

I, like I say like people come for the crystals and they stay for the wine because I do have, they have, I have an audience of people who are, as soon as they hear like wine and crystals, like I'm there, they come. And my experience as you know, you came and visited me, it was such a sweet surprise. Um, I like to provide more of like a metaphysical, like mindful experience where like I don't just tell you this wine comes from this vineyard and these are the flavors that you're gonna that you're gonna taste.

I share personal stories of how the wine came to, to, uh, you know, be produced or also personal stories of like how I use those crystals in my personal life and how they can incorporate them in their life. [00:23:00] And so I think it's such a beautiful, uh, way for me to connect with people. Um, I'm like you came here that I'm not knowing you were going to have like a TED talk of like mind blown.

Maria Mayes: This is this is amazing. And I just I want to share with the listeners that so the most important thing, in my opinion, in the tasting room is the energy when you walk in, right? You can walk into a beautiful tasting room, but you can feel very unwelcome sometimes. And what you have done is created this beautiful, warm, welcoming, unique environment that I mean, you can feel the energy right when you walk in from the aesthetics of the decor to the scents to the just everything and, and I am just so grateful that you listened to that poll because A lot of us don't.

Right. And look at what you've created as a result. And so I just wanna encourage our listeners, we're gonna, uh, I [00:24:00] wanna talk, I have a couple more questions for you and then we're gonna go to a part two and record a part two. Yes. Okay. Talk more on wine too, just 'cause we're pushing up on time. But I think.

For the listeners, if you are anywhere close to Paso Robles, you need to get over there and see Nancy and see her baby, see the gorgeous labels of each of the goddesses, hear the stories about it, see which crystals would pair with it, and why, I mean, it's just, and the quality of the wine, these unique white wines that are not something you can find in These are not wines the audience needs to know that you can't find in a grocery store.

You're not going to go find a wine of this quality, of these unique varietals. Um, and in, made in a way where you can taste the love that was infused, you can taste the passion. I just encourage everybody to check it out. As you look at the intention that you set for this business, right.

And for following your [00:25:00] path. And as you have seen that now so much of it manifests and now, and did you say just, just Friday, you transitioned to being a hundred percent self employed? 

Nancy Ulloa: A week ago. Yeah. 

Maria Mayes: Wow. Yeah. As you look. At that journey of what you've been able to do by listening to your intuition and your heart and your divine guidance, what tip can you offer our listeners in terms of Your biggest learning of that, or the biggest surprise of that, or the biggest reward of that.

The reward is obviously evident in the business. But, but just if there's something you could put into a bite size tip for our listeners, I think that would be hugely impactful for them. 

Nancy Ulloa: Yeah, I think that one too, that I have recently discovered. Through yoga, I would say, because I'm always, you know, finding all these different methods to make decisions [00:26:00] and to live my life is one thing that I currently ask myself before making a decision is, um, I know that there's a lot of feelings coming, coming up with different decisions that have to be made, regardless of how big or small they are.

But my question is, um, are these feelings and the decision that you're being drawn to make, is this? Uh, something that's coming outta fear or coming outta love. 'cause I feel like fear is something that continues to keep people, uh, away from realizing their dreams because they're afraid that they're gonna fail.

They're afraid that there's not gonna be people who are gonna like, you know, come out and support. They're afraid of like, what? Everyone's gonna like perceive you as if you come out and you come with this confidence. And for me, even though I have manifested so much I feel like I have kept myself small to not like make other people [00:27:00] feel uncomfortable because of my success.

Um, And that's something that I still struggle with. And so I am at a point where like, at this, like, who am I trying to please at this point? Is it me? Is it the other people? Or is it like, can I just ask the universe for guidance and trust and surrender? So go against fear and surrender to your to your intuition, because surrendering is the most beautiful thing that you could do for yourself.

There has been. Many times where I have been facing obstacles and fighting against those obstacles, and I feel like that fight, like, really creates more pain. And once I decide to surrender, my body immediately, like, my shoulders drop. And like, and I say, universe, like, guide me to my my best possible outcome for me and for everyone involved.

[00:28:00] And, and I just like surrender and let it go. And beautiful things have happened through that because sometimes you have learning opportunities within these struggles that you just have to be open to receiving those messages and to let those guide you to the next step. 

Maria Mayes: That was so beautifully said. so much, Nancy, for sharing that with the listeners.

We are going to be back with a part two of this where we'll get more into the wine. We're probably going to have to do three or four parts, I'm thinking. Oh, I'm ready. It's a series. For sure, we will. And so, Um, for the listeners, where can they find you? 

Nancy Ulloa: Uh, so they can find me, um, at UlloaCellars. com. And I know Ulloa is a little hard to, uh, to remember how to pronounce or spell, so you can also find me at LatinaWineMaker.

com. So that's, that's my, uh, [00:29:00] my website. Um, and then, um, you can also find me, uh, on Instagram at Uyua Sellers, uh, which is spelled U L L O A C E L L A R S. Uh, and then my personal Instagram, it's enlfile. babe. So I have two different Instagrams if you want to go out there and check out what I'm doing.

Maria Mayes: Definitely. We all need to check that out. And one last question before I let you go and we'll talk more about the answer. We'll talk more about the answer next time, but what is your favorite wine to mindfully enjoy right now? 

Nancy Ulloa: Uh, at this moment, I would say, uh, my 2023 Albariño. 

Maria Mayes: I just had that last night.

That was going to be my response. I understand why. Okay, so we are going to wrap this episode up and we are going to come back and talk about that because I have pairing [00:30:00] notes. I have all the things on that beautiful Albarino. Oh my goodness. Let's do this. Thank you so much, Nancy. It's been such a pleasure.

Thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you. 

Nancy Ulloa: Absolutely.