Piezo Winery is a boutique winery that makes all of our wines in California using grapes sourced from small growers located primarily in Sonoma County. We specialize in limited-production, single-vineyard wines. Our annual production is approximately 400 cases and we currently only sell directly to wine lovers. Every year, I personally select grapes from small, unique Northern California vineyards to produce wines with the best expression of each varietal. I then handcraft our wines in small batches with minimal intervention to preserve the distinct characters of the grapes and vineyards.

 

When we decided to start our own winery we could not have anticipated all that we would need to do and learn. We did, however, know that additional education and experience would be extremely helpful. Thus, I enrolled at UC Davis where I received a winemaking degree. The program was designed for working professionals so I completed most of the courses while still working full time. This led to some long nights, but I was immediately captivated by winemaking and I knew this was the right decision.

 

Now full of theoretical knowledge, I decided it was time to gain some practical experience. I convinced two winery owners that I had met through the UC Davis program to let me apprentice at their winery for harvest. I spent nearly two months in the fall of 2014 working at Beach House winery in Oceanside, California. This experience was life changing. I gained practical knowledge of every aspect of winemaking, small winery ownership and also made some great friends. This was also Laura’s first experience at being a “Harvest widow”.

 

Having acquired both academic and hands-on experience it was time to start making my own wine. After researching grape availability and access to proper facilities we decided our best bet was to rent space in a shared facility in Sonoma County, California. While Napa gets all the acclaim, Sonoma is the true heart of California wine country. It is home to many wineries, most equipment suppliers and almost any grape varietal you desire is available for purchase. The winery we use is a shared facility where I rent space alongside several other small producers like Piezo.

 

We made our first vintage in 2015. The entire process was a whirlwind of non-stop activity, dealing with the unknown, managing all aspects of winemaking and getting licensed to sell wine. However, the end result was four beautiful wines that we are proud to call our own. These days we are hitting our stride. I spend time in California making the wines, along with regular trips to the winery to monitor the wines during barrel aging. Laura joins me routinely for barrel sampling as I rely on Laura’s palate to help me with blending and aging decisions.

 

We put our heart and soul into every bottle of wine we produce and we know you will enjoy them as much as we do. Cheers!