The Garagiste Festival

Autonom is the sole project of Alta Maria Vineyards and Native9 winemaker Paul Wilkins.  The focus is on limited release Rhone vareity wines sourced from vineyards throughout California’s Central Coast. 1. What was your first vintage year? 2007 2. Do you have a Tasting Room? Yes, located at Alta Maria Vineyards’ tasting room in Los [...]

My family settled in the Santa Maria Valley nine generations ago. Despite our long history in the valley, I didn’t inherit this land; my family and I worked hard to regain a modest piece of land, primarily used as a cattle ranch along with the eight acres my vineyard sits on.  The cattle ranch was [...]

After 7 years in the cellars I was ready to start on my future.  Inspired by music and life on the road and a love affair for food and travel Press Gang Cellars was born. I wanted something different to represent my wines, something against the grain. Press Gang Cellars is all about working hard [...]

For most of my adult life, I have been obsessed with Pinot Noir. I first cut my teeth on this transcendent variety when I was inducted into the Chevaliers du Tastevin, effectively changing my palate forever. Through this association, I was able to return to Burgundy annually during the dead of winter, and over time, [...]

Established in 2001 Kaena has been making some of the areas finest Grenache and Rhone blends with vineyards within the Ballard Canyon area. Named on of the most promising producers by Wine Spectator Magazine. Focus is on small lot hand crafted wines that show distinction and sense of place. 1. What was your first vintage [...]

I’ve been making vineyard-designate Pinot Noir in extremely small quantities since starting my label in 2010, when I produced just a single barrel of my first wine. I made three barrels of wine in 2011 and twelve barrels last year. I’m not sure if that’s even enough to qualify for garagiste status, but I couldn’t [...]

Storm Wines is a small Boutique Winery specializing in small lot wine production. Storm Wines was founded in 2006 by Ernst Storm with the focus on Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from select sites in Santa Barbara County. We make wines with strong personality of Vintage and Site. 1. What was your first vintage year? [...]

We admit it, we’re island people. Dave originating from the British Isles, Karen having lived part of her nomadic life in St. Croix , and vacations always somewhere in the tropics. The Seagrape tree (Coccoloba uvifera) is found near seaside beaches and is a visual reminder of both our winemaking roots and our love of [...]

While at Byron, I met my winemaking match and life-long partner, Jonathan Nagy.  We were married at the winery in May 2003.  We decided to make a barrel of Viognier that we would bottle and label ourselves to give to our wedding guests.  This was the original Nagy wine and so begins the story. Extensive [...]

Michael Larner is winemaker and vineyard manager at the family-run, boutique Larner Vineyard & Winery in Santa Barbara, California. He received a MS degree from the Department of Viticulture & Enology at UC Davis in 2005 and earned a BS in Geology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has traveled to three continents for [...]

A small label dedicated to limited production of terrior driven varietals utilizing as little intervention into the winemaking process as possible. 1. What was your first vintage year? 2007 2. How did you get your start in the winemaking business? Started as an internship at Babcock Vineyards in 2001. 3. What wine made you want to become [...]

The first commercial release for Luminesce was 2006.  We are currently focusing on Arroyo Grande and Santa Maria vineyards.  Our goal is to capture the fullest expression of the vineyard by using very little new oak, picking at optimum acids and sugars, and bottling without filtering or fining. 1. How did you get your start [...]

J. Wilkes was established in 2001 by Jeff Wilkes, a wine industry veteran of the Santa Maria Valley. Jeff tragically passed away in 2010 just as he was coming into his prime as a winemaker. Remembered as a friend, co-worker and extraordinary winemaker, the Miller Family purchased the J. Wilkes wine label. As a tribute [...]

Since I began making wine in 2005, La Fenêtre – French for The Window – has been the expression of my art: winemaking. As with any great art, this wine begins with respect for tradition. That means starting with world-class vineyard sources that have the perfect combination of soil, climate, and sustainable farming practices and it extends [...]

Etienne Terlinden was introduced to wine in his grandfather’s wine cellar near Brussels in Belgium. His appreciation for wine grew from traveling the world with his family and later with the US Navy, where he made numerous trips to France. While earning his BA at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Etienne’s love of [...]

The El Rey vineyard is planted on the very western edge of Santa Barbara County on a hill overlooking the La Purisima Mission lands.  This growing area is just perfect for Pinot Noir – a noble grape that thrives in this cool-climate area covered with chilly morning fog and strong afternoon winds that blow off [...]

Drawing on my background in horticulture, I decided to find some land where we could start a vineyard from the ground up.  With the purchase of 75 acres along Vineyard Canyon Road, we realized this goal.  In our first phase, we planted 10 acres of vines. We chose our varieties carefully, matching the soil with [...]

As owner/winemaker of Casa Dumetz Wines, my goal is to create vibrant, balanced and approachable wines using the basic ingredients of premium Santa Ynez Valley fruit and hard work.  My limited wine production portfolio (just over 1,000 cases) is focused towards Rhone varietals.  The current line-up includes syrah rose, viognier, syrah, grenache, sparkling syrah rose [...]

Blair Fox Cellars is dedicated to producing small lot, handcrafted bottlings of exceptional quality Rhone varietal wines from the most premium vineyards in Santa Barbara County. We search for vineyards which produce grapes with beautiful concentration and intense varietal character. These grapes are hand harvested, hand sorted, fermented in small lots, and basket pressed to [...]

BFV was founded when Dr. Bob Baehner and his wife Vickie Fournier Baehner planted five of their sixteen acres on a hilltop in the eastern Santa Ynez foothills to French cloned vines. Their first vintage was privately produced in 2004, a blend of all three varieties grown on the property – cabernet sauvignon, merlot and [...]

I started Roark Wine Co in 2009 to try my hand at making and marketing my own wine. Initially I made chenin blanc and added malbec in 2010, I added cab franc in 2011 and pinot noir in 2012. In 2012 I made about 500 cases of wine. 1. Do you have a Tasting Room? [...]

I found magic in wine. Other than water & honey that comes to us naturally form Mother Earth, wine is the labor of love we all share as winemakers turning that ever so sweet nectar of the grape into this amazing magical liquid that can sometimes outlast a human life… This was magic to me [...]

Tercero Wines is boutique producer located in Los Olivos, CA that produces high quality, reasonably priced red and white wines using grapes from leading Santa Barbara County vineyards. They make single varietal wines from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Grenache Blanc and Gewurztraminer as well as a Rose and various blends. 1. What was your [...]

Kessler-Haak is a family-owned and operated 30 acre organically farmed vineyard and winery located in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA.  Planted in 2005, with first harvest in 2008, the vineyard supplies Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fruit for Kessler-Haak Wines and other small producers such as Samsara, Carr Wines and Evening Land.  Currently producing about 600 cases/year, the Kessler-Haak [...]

1. How did you get your start in the winemaking business? We bought the vineyard in 2002. We made home wine in 2003 which our  friends and family said was pretty good wine. We made home wine again in 2004 which again was received with enthusiasm. In 2005, a local winery made an incredible wine [...]

1. How did you get your start in the winemaking business?  I went to school for it, and it’s the only career I’ve ever had.  Starting Ranchero Cellars was my reward for making wine for others for 12+ years.  2. What’s your favorite varietal/wine to make? Why? Carignan.  Need you ask?  It’s savage, and unique, [...]

AmByth Estate is a 42 acre certified Biodynamic farm located in the central coast of California, in the Paso Robles AVA. The estate has 20 acres of dry-farmed, head-trained vineyards and over 600 Spanish olive trees. They are raising their own beef, poultry and bees and are dedicated to growing their own fruits and vegetables–with [...]

Planted in 1998, the vision for St. Hilaire vineyard was to develop low-yielding, high-quality fruit so that only the very best grapes go into making their wines. Owner/Winemaker John Anderson spends many hours each week perfecting his wine-making skills and managing the vineyard. His hands-on approach comes naturally. His background in biology makes him acutely aware of the [...]

Cloak And Dagger Wines conspires to produce exceptional wines in extremely limited quantities. They are committed to growing the highest quality fruit possible, using minimal irrigation to maintain low yields for maximum intensity. They also outsource fruit from small growers throughout California, whose quality meets their demanding standards. 1. How did you get your start [...]

Bon Niche Cellars started in 2005 when Wally and Joyce Murray began their quest to find vineyard property in the Central Coast of California.  The result of their search was a beautiful slope with a spectacular view of the distant hills to the west.  The rich soil, hot days and brisk nights were perfect for [...]