Family, Patience, and Pinot at Winter’s Hill in the Dundee Hills
Credit: Winter’s Hill Estate The road to Winter’s Hill Estate twists through oak and vine into Oregon’s Dundee Hills, where red volcanic soil and cool coastal breezes set the pace of life. For three generations, the Gladhart family has worked this land not for fame, but to let its voice come through in the glass. […]
Lava Cap’s Tectonic Series: A Family’s Bond with the Land, Bottled
Credit: Lava Cap Winery Perched among the highest vineyards in the El Dorado AVA, Lava Cap is a place where land and lineage meet. Here, steep slopes stretch toward the sky, cloaked in soils that tell stories of ancient eruptions and shifting earth. It’s a land of contrasts—rocky and unforgiving, yet generous to those willing to wrestle its secrets into existence. In this rugged cradle, the Jones family has nurtured vines for generations, shaping wines that carry the imprint of both human hands and volcanic earth. […]
Eternal Wines Brings Buffalo Grit and Walla Walla Soul Into Every Bottle
There’s nothing necessarily flashy about Walla Walla, Washington. Seasons here don’t follow clocks; they’re ruled by the weather, the heat, the cold, and the harvest. Wine grows from dirt, shaped by sun and sweat. It’s a place for people who want to make something real, not polished or predictable.
Harvest Intern: Point of No Return
California, late August—the valley stinks of dust, diesel, and dead insects baked flat on the highway. Trucks roar by with their payload of sugar bombs, engines wheezing like asthmatic gods. The vines hang heavy, bleeding fruit, and into this circus of chaos staggers the wide-eyed intern. They weren’t lured here by comfort. No one in their right mind comes for that. They came chasing the hallucination of glory. They came for the punishment. And harvest delivers—sixteen-hour shifts that strip the skin off your fingers, purple stains that tattoo your arms, the constant metallic snarl of machinery that never, ever sleeps. [...]
Project Zin Marks 15 Years of Zinfandel, Community, and Compassion
Sonoma County’s premier charity wine event returns August 16, 2025 at Bricoleur Vineyards Project Zin, one of Sonoma County’s most beloved charity wine gatherings, celebrates its fifteenth anniversary on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor. Founded by Clay and Carrie Mauritson of Mauritson Wines and Chef Charlie Palmer, the event unites top Zinfandel producers, Michelin-starred chefs and passionate supporters to benefit the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area. […]
Sonoma Wine BID: A Marketing Bridge to Nowhere
Vines in Sonoma County demand authenticity Why a proposed wine tax isn’t landing where it’s aimed In Sonoma County, the vines don’t care about strategic goals. They ask for water when they need it, bear fruit when it’s time, and turn gold just before letting go. But the people tending them? They’re tired—of being studied, surveyed, and told what’s best for them by folks who haven’t hauled a bin in decades. […]
Ditch the Dusty Wine List: How Smart Restaurants Are Turning Corkage into Customer Gold
For years, corkage fees have been the quiet fight playing out at the white tablecloth. Wine lovers roll their eyes at paying $30 to open a bottle they brought themselves. Restaurant managers chalk it up as covering stemware and service. No one’s happy. And no one wins. […]
Rooted and Evolving — How Booker Keeps Breaking Ground in Paso Robles
Booker Winery. Credit: Booker Winery Drive west out of Paso Robles, past the head-trained vines and slow-curving two-lane roads, and the landscape shifts. Hills rise. Oak trees twist into the sky. The vineyards grow tighter along the slopes, and the air feels stiller. This is Willow Creek, where the ground is limestone and the ambition runs deep. Tucked into this terrain is Booker, a winery that has never chased the spotlight yet continues to turn heads. Founded by Eric Jensen, a self-taught vintner who came to Paso looking for something real, Booker has always been rooted in conviction. When Jensen [...]
Michigan Wineries Beat Back the Bureaucrats: A Victory for the Little Guy
They didn’t ask for a fight. They just wanted to grow grapes, make wine, and build a life off the land. But the wineries of Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula found themselves in a cage match with their own local government...
Dust on Their Boots, Ramona Valley in Their Glass: Josh and Michelle Mann’s Wild, Living Wines
Credit: The Succulent Cellar Josh and Michelle Mann didn’t set out to make wine that just tasted good—they set out to build something that worked from the ground up. The kind of thing that doesn’t just grow grapes, but grows wiser each year. […]
Sta. Rita Hills Ignites: Wine & Fire Weekend 2025
The weekend kicks off with the annual Barn Party at The Hilt Estate’s beautifully reconstructed barn on Santa Rosa Road, featuring an extensive library of wines poured by local Sta. Rita Hills winemakers.
Elevating Paso Robles: The Grower-First Vision of Hawks Hill Ranch in the Adelaida District
Credit: Hawks Hill Ranch Situated amid the rugged hills of Paso Robles’ Adelaida District, Hawks Hill Ranch sits on a landscape defined by dramatic elevation changes and a patchwork of soils shaped by ancient seas. Kit Kuyper’s connection to this place runs deep—rooted in family tradition and a growing love for the region’s natural beauty. “Paso Robles has a long history with my family,” he explains, recalling how his father’s annual trips from Los Angeles to find quality wines at good value first introduced him to the area. When his father retired to Paso Robles, Kuyper began exploring [...]
The Lompoc Wine Ghetto: An Unlikely Wine Paradise
Credit: Explore Lompoc Situated in Santa Barbara County, the Lompoc Wine Ghetto has flourished into a haven for wine enthusiasts. This hub of artisanal winemaking, located within an industrial park, redefines the traditional wine destination. […]
From T-Shirts to Terroir: The Noisy Water Winery, A New Mexico Story
Credit: Noisy Water Winery When economic headwinds battered the Riddle family’s T-shirt printing business in Ruidoso, New Mexico, in the late 2000s, Rick Riddle and Mary Jo Piedmont faced a crossroads. Their small-town enterprise, once thriving with souvenir designs for tourists visiting the nearby Sierra Blanca peaks, struggled to stay afloat. Rather than retreat, they chose to reinvent—channeling their entrepreneurial grit into a venture that celebrated New Mexico’s identity. In 2009, they transformed their print shop into “The Cellar Uncorked”, a cozy wine bar spotlighting exclusively New Mexican wines. This marked their first step into the wine world—a [...]
Mountain Crafted Marvels: The Stotesbery Family’s Napa Valley Legacy Endures
Stotesbery Family, the next generation. Credit: Ladera Vineyards Anne and Pat Stotesbery’s journey from Montana ranchers to Napa Valley vintners is a tale of unexpected twists. Their decades spent raising Black Angus cattle laid the groundwork for their resilience, which became crucial when they made a spontaneous decision during a vacation in 1996 to buy a 20-acre vineyard, now known as Ladera Vineyards. […]
A Study of Tension and Expression: Nicole Walsh’s Winemaking Philosophy at Ser Winery
“A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.” — Louis Pasteur Credit: Ser Winery Nicole Walsh’s journey embodies this sentiment, shaped by curiosity and an unshakable bond with the land. Growing up in Saginaw, Michigan, she studied horticulture at Michigan State University, where an internship on an organic farm ignited her passion for agriculture—yet also nudged her toward perennial crops over fleeting harvests. […]
Soquel Vineyards: The Founding Partners’ Story Takes Root in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Credit: Soquel Vineyards Soquel Vineyards is a distinguished winery that exemplifies the artistry and dedication of winemaking, steeped in rich tradition and innovation. Situated in the breathtaking Santa Cruz Mountains, it crafts exceptional wines that capture the essence of its unique terroir, inviting wine lovers to experience a true taste of the region’s heritage. […]
‘This Aggression Will Not Stand, Man’: Napa Wineries Challenge Regulatory Overreach in Federal Court
In the heart of Napa Valley, a significant legal battle is underway as three family-owned wineries—Hoopes Vineyard, Summit Lake Vineyards & Winery, and Smith-Madrone Winery—take on Napa County in federal court. […]
Claiborne Thompson: A Scholar’s Leap of Faith into Edna Valley Winemaking
Credit: Claiborne & Churchill Winery Claiborne Thompson’s love affair with wine ignited during a pivotal family move to Germany in his late teens, where his father’s role as an Air Force officer opened the door to a world of European wines that dazzled him. Gone were the days of jug wines with forgettable names like “Mountain Burgundy” or “White Zinfandel”; instead, he found himself captivated by the rich, complex flavors of authentic German and Alsatian varieties. […]
Everything Happens for a Riesling: Discover Sheldrake Point in the Finger Lakes in the New Year
Credit: Sheldrake Point Winery As the world welcomes 2025 with cheers and champagne toasts, let’s raise a glass to the perfect blend of tradition and innovation, just like Sheldrake Point Winery, which has been cultivating excellence in the Finger Lakes for nearly three decades. […]