“A large part of what I love about Marin is the obvious maritime influence. I’m competing with cows, not condos, for my patch of ground.” — Stewart Johnson
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Being small means you know every vine, every grape cluster that goes into the wine. We do it all, from the ground up. We planted the vines, grow the grapes, ferment into wine age and blend. The wine is truly a piece of us — it’s a personal expression of who we are in a bottle. — Steve Alden
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Most of us don't remember the first time we tasted wine. Those of us who have been drinking it a long time would most likely be horrified if we re-tried that first sip. Perhaps it was Boone's Farm, Beringer White Zinfandel (guilty) or even a bottle of 2-Buck Chuck. Or maybe you're one of the lucky few who's parents let you try it when you were a kid. (Another reason to love the French and Italians.) Hey, we all have to start somewhere. There's no judgement here. Most likely we don't really recall the wine, because there was nothing about it - besides the way it ultimately made us feel (thanks Alcohol!) - that wowed us. That made us think it was anything special. And then it happened. That one wine that turned your palate upside-down with pleasure, that made you actually THINK about what you were drinking and perhaps for the first time, actually SAVOR it.
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Being a small-lot winery allows for the kind of winemaking control that preserves the flavor and allows complexity. —Ross Rankin
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What's the big deal about small production? What difference does it make, and who really cares how much wine a winery makes?
We know that "craft beer" has re-shaped the brewing industry, but what does that really mean when a "craft" producer such as Sam Adams makes over 2.5 MILLION BARRELS per year? And garagiste winemakers are making about 60. Not sixty million or sixty thousand. Sixty. Six-0…
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We never get tired of tasting our own wine, however, it is important to also taste other wines to keep our palate in tune. Dipping into our inventory is purely a form of quality control!
— Roger Nicolas
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“Grenache is my favorite. It loves to give. It is big fruited, bright when it’s not overripe, has guts but can be complex, and likes our sunny climate. “ — Dennis Sharpe
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Paso Robles is very special to us not only because the climate allows us to grow top quality grapes; but also because Paso is rich with honest and hardworking families. — Enrique Torres
Read MoreThe more I learned about wine, the more I want to know. I fell in love with the nuances between different regions and different winemaker styles.
—Maria Stolo Bennitti
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Here's where the story goes: Our first vintage turned out pretty well. We made a barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon, and when that went smoothly, we followed it up with a barrel of Syrah. We learned some lessons (like what to do when your fermentation smells funny, among other things) and yet ended up winning a Gold Medal from the Winemaker Magazine Competition (the largest amateur competition in the country). There was no looking back. We were hooked.
Read More“Pedro started by making small batches of wines with friends. He eventually studied enology at UC Davis and graduated with a Winemaker Certification.”
–Vicky Vargas
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It's all about the great people we have here, our amazing history of being the birthplace of California winemaking, and have you visited Sonoma before? Spend a little time you will understand also. -- Bart Hansen
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My friends and I make wine in a garage. Okay, it's a nice garage, and we have an air conditioner in it, but it is still a garage. Sometimes I stand and stare - glass in hand - at the barrels, the blue drums, the kegs, the carboys, and all the other crap we've accumulated over the last three years - and reflect on how we got here.
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“Fresh-Cut Garden Hose!” In the documentary Somm, that phrase is used as an aroma descriptor for a wine by one of the Master Sommelier candidates. Really? I don’t know, call me crazy, but I have a hose and a garden and yet would still be challenged to recognize that aroma in a glass, let alone in real life…
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It seems once wine captures your heart there’s a sizable, and ever-growing, group of wine lovers who get bit by the wineMAKING bug as well. The Garagiste Festival is proof of that.
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You can feel everyone’s passion and I’m just excited to be apart of it. We have such an array of microclimates and awesome farmers. It makes our wines captivating and able to compete with the best. — Bret Urness
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“We are named the vineyard and wines after our daughter Marin who was 6 years old when we initially planted the vineyard. She worked / played alongside of us as we developed the vineyard and she grew up with it. She recently graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this summer with a degree in winemaking and has been our winemaker for over a year.”
– Duane Wolgamott
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Where else can you go ANYWHERE in the world where you can walk in and find the owner or winemaker at the winery? Paso has some of the best wine in the world and some of the most talented wine folks in the world and they are still out in the fields, working in the tasting room and out and about around town accessible to everyone. — John Shaw
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I fell in love with the Central Coast while attending school in SLO (not for wine). It is beautiful and uncrowded. We have very good fruit sources all over but the Sta. Rita Hills (for me) is the most special – meaning few peers in the world for Pinot Noir. — Steve Arrowood
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“We fell in love with the industry when we lived in San Francisco when my husband and I were first married. We'd go up to Napa and stay at working vineyards. We knew this was something we wanted to do. We then moved to southern CA, and when we found our house in Malibu, there was a vineyard across the way and we knew we could plant there. We planted our first crop in 2001 and harvested from there in 2004.”
–Carol Hoyt
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