Our Story
Once Upon a Time
At Amista Vineyards, our journey starts with crafting exquisite estate-grown sparkling wine and expressive Rhône varietals—a woman-led vision rooted in friendship and organically farmed vineyards.
Amista Vineyards began with a shared dream—a dream my husband Mike and I didn’t know we had and didn’t know we shared when we met in 1982. It took more than a decade before we planted our first vine, and another five years before we discovered this gorgeous property in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley just outside the charming town of Healdsburg.
That dream became a reality when we founded Amista Vineyards in 2004. From the very beginning, it was grounded in friendship. Our friends were with us when we made our first wine, helped us say goodbye to our first vineyard, and stood beside us when we set foot on this land that would become our home. They’ve cheered us on, pitched in during harvest, and celebrated every vintage along the way.
“It was a dream we didn’t know we had and didn’t know we shared.”
Vicky and Mike Farrow
Mike was the heart and inspiration behind Amista. His passion for discovery, generous spirit, and belief that wine should be joyful, shaped everything we do. Although he is no longer with us, his legacy lives on in every bottle and in the vibrant community he helped create.
Our story began with friendship, and our mission goes beyond making exceptional wines—it’s about creating meaningful experiences and lasting memories among friends. “Amista” means “making friends” in Spanish—a perfect name for a winery born of friendship and rooted in the Spanish heritage of this special place.
Today, Amista Vineyards continues to celebrate the joy of wine country living, sharing our estate-grown sparkling wines and distinctive Rhône varietals with friends old and new. Every glass reflects our commitment to organic farming, hands-on craftsmanship, and the belief that wine is best enjoyed in community.
We invite you to visit us in Dry Creek Valley and be part of the Amista story—where good wine, good food, and good friends come together in the spirit of wine country living.
The Amista Timeline
1994 – We planted our first vineyard at our home in Saratoga, California in the Silicon Valley – 150 Cabernet Sauvignon vines; we bought ½ ton of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and made wine in our garage
1995 – I (Vicky) got a job offer in New Jersey and we had to leave our vineyard before ever experiencing a harvest (we took the barrel of wine and let it age in our New Jersey basement)
1999 – After secretly exploring vineyard properties on the internet, Mike whisked me off to Sonoma and we purchased this beautiful vineyard – 20 acres planted in Chardonnay – in Dry Creek Valley near the charming town of Healdsburg
2000 – We removed 8 acres of Chardonnay vines and planted Syrah
2002 – We finally moved to our vineyard in Healdsburg and Mike harvested 3 tons of our estate Syrah to make “Garage Syrah”
2003 – We harvested estate Syrah and purchased Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from local Healdsburg neighbors for Amista’s first harvest, and the Amista dream became a reality
2004 – We officially established Amista Vineyards, Inc.
2007 – We opened the Amista Vineyards tasting room surrounded by estate Morningsong Vineyards planted to Chardonnay and Syrah
2008 – We released Amista’s first sparkling wine, Sparkling Syrah
2010 – We released our first Amista Rockpile Cabernet Sauvignon
2011 – We budded over some of the Syrah vines to one acre each of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah
2011 – We released our first Amista Sparkling Blanc de Blanc
2014 – We launched Amista Sparkling Friends, the first sparkling wine club in Dry Creek Valley
2015 – We debuted three estate grown sparkling wines: Amista Sparkling Grenache, Amista 2013 Blanc de Blanc and our first sparkling blend, Amista Fusión.
2017 – We replanted the front of the property to Chardonnay and Grenache and Mourvèdre in the back.
2018 – We debuted our first ever Amista Sparking Mataró
2019 – We released our first Amista Rosé de Tres
2020 – We released for the first time a standalone Mourvèdre and planted a small block of a Rhône white called Roussanne.