Author: Allison Levine

13 Mar

Posted at 04:24h in 2024 Wineries, Uncategorized, Wineries

J. Brix Wines

298 Enterprise St., Suite D, Escondido CA 92029
www.jbrix.com

Region: San Diego County

Owners/Winemakers: Emily Towe & Jody Brix Towe

About: Emily and Jody Brix Towe started J. Brix Wines in 2009 with three barrels in their two-car garage. Since then, as a two-person winemaking team, they have grown the winery into a small but mighty standard-bearer for the minimal-intervention California wine movement. Working out of a warehouse facility in Escondido since 2013, they make as many as 16 different wines per year. They source impeccable fruit from incredible vineyards all over the Golden State, focusing on Santa Barbara (where they learned to make wine) and San Diego (where they live). Their motto, in winemaking and life: ONLY LOVE.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? It’s impossible to pick a favorite grape, but we can say our favorite *fermentation* is always the Counoise – it’s like a strawberry-scented pink-and-purple-tie-dye foam party!

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? We worked with Grenache for our first vintage in 2009.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? For many of the forgotten grapes, it might be the first time someone has ever experienced what that varietal wine might taste like. It’s so exciting to see people expand their horizons, and learn how much more is out there in the world of wine.

13 May

Posted at 23:03h in 2025 Wineries, Uncategorized, Wineries

JMC Cellars

6800 Greenville Road, Livermore CA 94550
jmccellars.wine

Region: Livermore Valley

Owner/Winemaker: Jessica Carroll

About: Like many that find themselves in this industry, Jessica started her path in a different field: Civil Engineering. She graduated from the University of Portland and worked as a Transportation Engineer in the Bay Area until finding her passion in wine.

After careful thought, she made the leap into wine in 2014. While completing her Certificate of Enology from Las Positas College, she worked full time at a winery in Livermore Valley. The list of reasons Jessica loves the wine industry is long and all of them make it a well matched career path for her.

She was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to open up her own winery in 2023 and jumped at the chance to fulfil that dream.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Teraldego

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Jessica has been working with obscure varietals for a long time, it is something JMC is very proud of.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? Exposure to new and exciting varietals you cannot find on the grocery store shelf or in most tasting rooms.

JMC Cellar Wines
JMC Cellar
JMC Cellar
JMC Cellar
JMC Cellar
JMC Cellar Vineyard

07 Nov

Posted at 21:13h in 2025 Wineries, Wineries

Kunin Wines

74 Aero Camino, Goleta 93117
www.Kuninwines.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owner: Magan Eng

Winemaker: Jonathan St. Vincent and Magan Eng

About: We’re a small boutique winery with a passion for making single variety wines of beauty and distinction. We are influenced by the wines of the Rhône and captivated by the terroirs of Santa Barbara County.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Mourvèdre

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Pelaverga

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? A chance to remember them/learning to see them.

Kunin Wine
Kunin Wine Winemaker
Kunin Wine harvest
Kunin Wine Winemaker
Kunin Logo
Kunin Wine
Kunin Wine test

09 Mar

Posted at 17:21h in 2024 Wineries, Uncategorized, Wineries

L.A. Lepiane Wines

1480 Count Fleet St., Santa Barbara, CA
www.lepianewines.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owner/Winemaker: Alison Thomson

About: Founded in 1935 by Luigi A. Lepiane, and re-established by his great-granddaughter in 2013, L.A. Lepiane Wines focuses on small lots of unexpected Italian varieties. Alison Thomson crafts unique wines, using traditional techniques, natural fermentations and lots of time. Her wines reflect true character of the varieties translated in California’s soil and sun.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Nebbiolo

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? I worked my first harvest for Ettore Germano in Barolo, Italy.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? I love variety and a good story. Introducing consumers to less known grape varieties expands their wine drinking horizons to new regions, flavors, and aromas. Variety is the spice of life.

08 Mar

Posted at 23:44h in 2024 Wineries, Uncategorized, Wineries

Lindquist Family Wines

4665 Santa Maria Mesa Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93454
verdadandlindquistfamilywines.com

Region: Santa Maria Valley

Owners/Winemakers: Bob Lindquist and Louisa Sawyer Lindquist

About: We make a number of forgotten grapes from cool climate vineyards on the Central Coast.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Marsanne

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Probably my first experience would have been when I was in college with Wente Grey Riesling, which is Trousseau Gris.  As a winemaker, the first forgotten grape that I made was a 1987 Marsanne, which I still make today.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? There is so much diversity in flavors, aromas and character…and they can often be better values.

Lindquist-2021-Marsanne

22 Mar

Posted at 06:54h in 2024 Wineries, Uncategorized, Wineries

Lodi Wine

2545 West Turner Road, Lodi, CA, 95242
www.lodiwine.com

Region: Lodi, CA

About: Perfectly situated 90 miles east of San Francisco, Lodi’s Mediterranean climate and unique soils allow its growers to cultivate more than 125 winegrape varieties, cementing the historic winegrowing region as the unrivaled producer of “forgotten grapes.”

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? The forgotten grapes add a point of difference between Lodi and other American winegrowing regions and diversify the region’s portfolio of high quality wines.

01 Jan

Posted at 01:51h in 2025 Wineries, Wineries

Los Pilares Wine

Durbin Road, Santa Ysabel, CA
lospilareswine.com

Region: San Diego County

Owner: Coleman Cooney

Winemaker: Michael Christian and Coleman Cooney

About: Los Pilares is a long-term exploration of high-altitude viticulture in the mountains of San Diego County, founded by Katie Fawkesmoore, Coleman Cooney, Jay McCarthy, and Michael Christian. Before Los Pilares, they were backyard vignerons, garage winemakers, or wine industry professionals. Since the first vintage in 2010, they have been showcasing the terroir of San Diego’s backcountry and mountains by making wine with nothing but grapes, and sometimes apples. All the fruit comes from sustainable vineyards and orchards grown in the backcountry and mountains of San Diego County.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Assyrtiko

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Drinking young Tintilla Sardo wines in Spain

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? They extend the spectrum of flavors, textures, and aromas.

los pilares
Lospilares-3
Lospilares-4

17 Dec

Posted at 20:17h in 2025 Wineries, Wineries

Luna Hart Wines

2825 Tapadero Road, Solvang CA 93463
www.lunahartwines.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owner: Gretchen Voelcker

Winemaker: Gretchen Voelcker

About: At the heart of Luna Hart’s philosophy is a commitment to vineyards practicing sustainable, organic, or biodynamic farming throughout the enchanting landscapes of Santa Barbara County. Gretchen’s vision is to create wines that resonate with the very soul of the grapes—their origin, vintage, and variety—a true reflection of the terroir. Immerse yourself in the meticulous process where Gretchen’s careful attention to the fruit in the vineyard and daily tastings during fermentation result in high-quality, fruit-forward wines. Luna Hart’s creations are characterized by bright acidity and a delicate balance, held together by an incredible structure that speaks to the harmony between nature and craftsmanship.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Gruner Veltliner & Cabernet Franc

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Gretchen fell in love with Grüner Veltliner while working in New Zealand. She loved the clusters in the vineyard which translated to her new favorite white complete with bright acidity and gorgeous texture. It is also the perfect companion to SB and California fare.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? We love educating people about our wines and the grapes we work with. The forgotten grapes are such a fun way to share something completely new with our guests and we love surprising them.

01 Jan

Posted at 01:40h in 2025 Wineries, Wineries

Martha Stoumen Wines

5230 McFarlane Rd Sebastopol, CA 95472
www.marthastoumen.com

Region: Sonoma

Owner: Martha Stoumen

Winemaker: Martha Stoumen

About: Martha Stoumen Wines was founded upon the desire to recapture a farming and winemaking culture that has all but faded away: a winemaking culture of patience. Our wines are made from unexpected varietals and offer new takes on California classics. Of the nearly two dozen wines we make every year, blends and flavors change but our desire to share the simple pleasures of natural wine remains the same.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Nero d’Avola

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? My first experience with wine was actually with forgotten grapes. I went to work on a farm in Italy, just outside of Siena, when I graduated college. They assigned me as a intern in the vineyard and olive orchard. There was an old vine block of mixed whites and reds that I loved—all quite literally forgotten—none of the locals even knew what they were, but they made delicious wine.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? I don’t just love forgotten grapes—I love forgotten apple varieties, heritage breed animals, heirloom vegetables, and forgotten crafts—in a modern world where shelf life, yield, and the lowest price at all costs reign supreme, we miss out on so many flavors, nutrients, and experiences.

09 Mar

Posted at 00:06h in 2024 Wineries, 2025 Wineries, Uncategorized, Wineries

Marchelle Wines

4950 Ross Rd, Sebastopol CA 95472
marchellewines.com

Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

Owners: Kevin Lee and Greg La Follette

Winemaker: Greg La Follette

About: Marchelle employs traditional winemaking techniques combined with modern innovations to create wines that harmonize balance, finesse, and complexity. The resulting wines display a purity of fruit, precise acidity, and a seamless integration of flavors—a testament to Greg La Follette’s artistry and the exceptional vineyards from which the grapes are sourced.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Colombard

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Going to the 122 year old Betty Ann Vineyard in Russian River Valley where we source our Colombard to pick during harvest with Greg La Follette.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? It’s unique and interesting and something most people have not tried. Discovering something special and creating an exceptional wine from it.