Release of Đổi Dá Cabernet Sauvignon is the Culmination of a 30-year Dream
(NAPA, California), August 13, 2024 – Cuong Pham, the visionary founder of the purest and most widely used Vietnamese fish sauce in the world, Red Boat Fish Sauce, announced that he and his family are launching a new Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon called Đổi Dá (pronounced Doy Da).
The initial release of Đổi Dá is a limited production 2022 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, crafted from Oakville and Rutherford fruit and retails for $125 per bottle. Only 160 cases were made. The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and will be available for purchase online at Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – Limited Production (doidawine.com) and in select wine shops.
The release of the wine represents not only a new pursuit, but the realization of dream that began in the 1990s when Cuong and his wife, Ann, lived in the Napa Valley and fell in love with the region, especially Cabernet Sauvignon.
“When I first arrived in Napa Valley, I knew that everything about it was special – the beauty, the weather, and especially the wines,” Cuong said. “I always wanted to create something that could be shared with friends and family and be enjoyed with the food I love. Not many people think of Cabernet Sauvignon and Vietnamese food, but it absolutely works.”
Cuong is no stranger to creating something new. He built Red Boat Fish Sauce when he realized his family could not recreate the flavors of home in the dishes they tried to make in America. On a visit to Vietnam for business, he toured local factories and tasted flavors he had not tasted in over 20 years. He took a sample home to his mom. She took one whiff and cried.
As Red Boat Fish Sauce continued to grow and expand, Cuong couldn’t shake the dream of producing a wine.
In early 2021, that came true when Cuong and Ann purchased a home on a rare 19-acre hillside parcel on Soda Canyon Road in Napa Valley. The site, just south of the Stags Leap District, has sweeping views of the Napa Valley and volcanic soils that are perfect for exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals.
Upon seeing the site and its rocky soils, Đổi Dá, which means Rocky Hill in Vietnamese, was born.
According to Cuong, fish sauce and wine have a lot in common. “The best of both products can only be made in a specific place – a true sense of terroir,” Cuong said. “You can’t cut corners with either. Both are fermented and aged in barrels and require great care and minimal intervention throughout the process. And the most expensive ingredient, but the most critical to overall quality, is time.”
The 9-acre estate vineyard was planted in April 2024 with several clones of Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a small amount of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
The wine was made by Nova Cadamatre, MW, who worked with Cuong on the project since its inception. Nova is the first female winemaker to achieve the Master of Wine in the U.S. and was a Top 40 under 40 recipient from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. She has a long, acclaimed pedigree from making wine at top wineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma.
