How Do You Start a Winery?
A Dream We Didn’t Know We Had…
…and didn’t know we shared
As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, I'm excited to share a series of short weekly posts that take you behind the scenes, revealing memorable moments that have shaped our journey at Amista Vineyards.
The conventional wisdom for starting any business involves carefully picking a name, writing a business plan, creating a budget and obtaining financing. We picked a name but otherwise, we didn’t follow the prescribed plan. Our journey into the wine business was something that developed gradually and almost unknowingly. Reflecting on it now, I realize that our dream of owning a vineyard was always there, simmering beneath the surface, even though we never explicitly acknowledged it or discussed it—until it was already happening.
Recalling the Dream
We were well into establishing Amista Vineyards before we even recalled what first sparked this dream. It all began when we moved to California’s Silicon Valley from our home in Colorado. We spent our weekends exploring Napa and Sonoma wine country, enchanted by the beautiful landscapes, the process of making wine, and the vibrant community that surrounded it. We were also captivated by a series of Ernest and Julio Gallo TV commercials, featuring the serene music of Vangelis’ "Hymne" and stunning images of wine country life. Those moments planted a seed in our minds, even if we didn’t realize it at the time.
Planting Our First Backyard Vineyard
Nearly a decade later, my late husband Mike came across an ad in a local newspaper for "backyard vineyards." Inspired, he planted 150 Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the hillside of our Silicon Valley home.
Mike’s First Wine in the Garage
Six months later, his curiosity intensified, he decided to learn how to make wine. That fall, he crushed half a ton of Cabernet grapes purchased from a local grower (our vines were too young to produce fruit). In 1994, he made his first wine in our garage, eagerly punching down the grapes each day, coming in with arms stained purple. I’ll admit, I made sure I wasn’t around for the hard work!
An Unexpected Detour in our Wine Journey
Just as we were getting started, life took an unexpected turn. I was offered a job in New Jersey, and we had to move before we could even harvest our first grapes. But we didn’t leave our wine behind. Mike, ever the scientist, meticulously packed the barrel of wine for the move, placing it in the center of the moving van with a recording thermometer to monitor its temperature during the journey. The wine arrived safely and was stored in our basement, where it aged for a couple of years. When we finally tasted it with friends, it was fantastic! That’s when Mike declared, “I’m a winemaker!”
Little did we know that early experiment would eventually lead us into the world of winemaking, where we’d be crafting Rhone-style reds and sparkling wines. What started as a subconscious dream had now become a reality, shaping the future we hadn’t even known we wanted.
Still Thirsty?
If you want to learn more, here is a curated list of resources.
Ernest and Julio Gallo Commercial, 1986
How Long Does it Take a New Vineyard to Yield Grapes?