Wineries

Cary Q Wines

1160 Hopper Ave, Santa Rosa, CA
www.caryqwines.com

Region: Santa Rosa

Owner/Winemaker: Cary Quintana

About: Cary Q Wines was founded in 2014, and is a woman-owned/operated winery, dedicated to minimal intervention winemaking philosophies. I focus on producing single vineyard varietals, working with organic and/or sustainably farmed vineyards, and leading with philosophies that produce environmentally clean and fresh wines from classic varietals. I aim to highlight the unique microclimates and site-specific grape varietals that are oftentimes underrepresented or overlooked.

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, of Cuban heritage, I followed my passion for the fermented grape in 2013 by moving to Northern California. I am self-taught, motivated with intention, and an alumna of the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology Winemaking certification program.

In the cellar I lead with low-intervention winemaking philosophies, that include being sensorily vigilant, encouraging natural/wild fermentations, all with the intention of highlighting pure and vibrant varietal expressions. My aging vessels vary by vintage and varietal inspiration which include concrete, stainless steel, and neutral French oak puncheons.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Picpoul

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Mourvedre

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? How versatile they can be.

Cary Q Wines
Cary Q Wines
Cary Q Wines
Cary Q Wines

Cavaletti Vineyard

165 Poindexter Avenue, Suite D, Ventura, CA
www.cavalettivineyards.com

Region: Ventura County

Owner/Winemaker: Patrick Kelly

About: We are a family owned winery producing wines of personality and place since 2016.

What is your favorite forgotten grape?  Alicante Bouschet

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Getting access to Tempranillo from Los Angeles County for the first time

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? They are just fun to work with. No pretense and no preconceived notions.

Cuatro Dias Winery

www.cuatrodiaswines.com

Region: Paso Robles,CA

Owner/Winemaker: Greg Allen

About: Greg Allen’s journey through the world of fine wines, as the visionary owner and mastermind winemaker behind Cuatro Dias Winery, is truly inspiring. His passion for winemaking, honed through prestigious programs and his pivotal role at the historical San Antonio Winery, sets the stage for a remarkable story. What’s particularly remarkable about Greg’s story is his dedication and perseverance. Balancing a demanding primary career as a Firefighter/Paramedic with his winemaking dreams is a testament to his commitment. The unique schedule he devised, with 2 intense 24-hour shifts followed by 4 days off, allowed him to birth Cuatro Dias, dedicating the maximum time he could to his craft.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Albariño

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? My first experience with Albariño. Having enjoyed the characteristics of Albariño, I was contracted by another winery to make the wine for them at a cost of reviving 50 percent of the product for payment. The actual fruit was cloned and named after the famed Alan Kinne who just recently passed. During fermentation, all the characteristics came together producing a great full-bodied wine with a great nose. There is more to life than Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay!

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? Paso Robles has great vineyards that have planted Albariño which continues to be a outstanding white varietal.

Derby Wine Estates

525 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles
www.derbywineestates.com

Region: Paso Robles

Owners: Ray and Pam Derby

Winemaker: Sean Geoghegan

About: Derby Wine Estate is a boutique, family owned winery with three Estate vineyards across the central coast and a Tasting Room & production facility on the outskirts of downtown Paso Robles. We have a passion for good wine and good company, and strive to share both with everyone who walks through our door.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Cinsault

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? I honestly can’t remember, I have always looked for lesser known grapes and heritage vines to expand my palate.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? The world of flavors and textures that open up when you think (and drink) outside the box.

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Dubost

9988 Chimney Rock Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446
https://www.dubostwine.com

Region: Adelaida District, Paso Robles Region

Owners: Kate & Curt Dubost

Winemaker: Zachary Raines

About: Small lot, handcrafted, award-winning wines, produced in a strawbale winery nestled in the hills of Adelaida.

What is your favorite forgotten grape?  Touriga Nacional

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape?  Negrette. I had no experience with it at all. Our winemaker had an opportunity to purchase some and when it came time to bottle he was going to blend it. It is often used as a blending grape because of its dark color and low tannins. I tasted it and fell in love. We did a single Negrette for many years after that. Sadly, we do not grow it and are no longer producing it.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? My experience with Negrette pushed me to think/taste beyond what I was familiar with in grape varietals. It showed me that there was a world of aromas, textures and flavors out there to be explored. Negrette become my “go to” wine for lamb and I had a special chocolate dish we paired with it in the tasting room. So versatile. AND it introduced us to Chris Kern.

Fuil Wines

1330 Flynn Rd., Unit E, Camarillo, CA 91344
www.fuilwines.com

Region: Camarillo, CA

Owner: Matt and Carolina Espiro Jaeger

Winemaker: Matt Espiro Jaeger

About: Boutique winery using fruit from the Santa Ynez Valley to combine New World flavors with Old World structure.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Viognier

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Not my first, but the revelatory one. I’d largely written off Viognier as flabby and overly sweet in my 20s, then I had a Viognier that was crisp, complex, and still full of fruit and flower from Demetria Estate in the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. That started me on my journey to find and enjoy cool-weather wine in general, and is why Viognier was the first wine I made in my own winery.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? They’re not forgotten! They’re usually part of popular Old World blends, but we in the USA have been so conditioned to look for varietal over place, that people don’t recognize them. As an example: I’ve had people ask me what on earth Mourvèdre is, until I ask if they’ve had a Cotes du Rhone or GSM wine. Then suddenly the light dawns.

Friendly Noise

111 Poindexter Ave, Ste D, Moorpark, CA 93021
www.friendlynoise.com

Region: Ventura County

Owners: Peter Clausen and Andrew Sylvia

Winemakers: Peter Clausen and Andrew Sylvia

About: We make casual, party-pleasing low interventions wines from underappreciated grapes and growing regions.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Picpoul

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Drinking delicious, dry, bubbly Muscadine wines in North Carolina and absolutely loving them!

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? There is more freedom to create and more freedom to enjoy them than there are with more mainstream grapes.

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Giornata

470 Marquita Ave #A, Paso Robles CA 93446
giornatawines.com

Region: Paso Robles

Owners/Winemakers: Brian and Stephy Terrizzi

About: We make authentic, complex and balanced wines in Paso Robles, CA featuring Italian grape varieties.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Teraldego and Frappato

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? I wasn’t sure what to make of Nebbiolo, but I knew I wanted another sip.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? Learning their history

Guthrie Family Wines

574 Este Madera Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476
www.guthriefamilywines.com

Region: Sonoma, California

Owner: Blair & Caroline Guthrie

Winemaker: Blair Guthrie

About: Crafting low-intervention wines from responsibly farmed grapes.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Grenache Blanc

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? In Australia, I came across Arneis and was lucky enough to get my hands on it and make it!

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? It’s like walking the forgotten path. I love their history but also their originality in today’s wine world.

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.