Gap Stories – Petaluma Gap

Wine is her passion. In little more than a decade, Liz Thach achieved a Master of Wine, was awarded a Fulbright to teach in Argentina about the business of wine, and began teaching at Sonoma State University, where she currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Wine. Liz was recently appointed as an Emeritus member of […]

Q&A with Byron Kosuge, Winemaker, McEvoy Ranch

11/30/20

Byron Kosuge grew up in California’s Central Valley as a second generation Japanese American. His father was raised on a farm in Colorado and became a professor at UC Davis in Plant Pathology; agriculture was a natural part of Byron’s DNA. But it wasn’t until college that Byron discovered wine while working at a restaurant […]

Q&A with Joseph Ryan, Winemaker, Ernest Vineyards

11/01/20

Wine was “not so much” a part of his life growing up in a small farming town in Iowa, except as an altar boy. After college he worked as a skid-loader, movie projector operator and bartender. It wasn’t until he travelled the country as an actor and started a two-year acting program in NYC that […]

Q&A with Evan Pontoriero, Co-Owner/Winemaker for Fogline Vineyards

10/01/20

You grew up in Pennsylvania in an Italian family and your grandparents made wine. What role did wine play in family gatherings? Did your grandfather’s hobby influence your decision to become a winemaker and winery owner? Sunday dinner was a big event for our family, exactly what you can imagine from how it is portrayed […]

Q&A with Keri Ueberroth Owner/Grower, Ueberroth Vineyards

09/01/20

Welcome to the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers! You are our newest grower member. In 2017 you purchased 80 acres of unused grasslands on Adobe Road. How did you choose the site? I had been looking at potential vineyard sites for about 3 years. The property was not yet on the market and Bob Gregg and David […]

Q&A with Erica Stancliff, Winemaker for Trombetta Family Wines and Pfendler Vineyards

07/28/20

We know you grew up in a food-centric family. What is your first recollection of tasting wine and realizing that you liked it? Do you remember what variety it was and why you liked it? Were you certain at that time that wine was a direction you’d like to go in as you grew up? […]

Q&A with Al & Lisa Brayton, Owners of Thirty-Seven Wines and Paradise Vineyard

06/29/20

Al, you grew up in Shasta County CA and, after getting out of high school, attended the US Air Force Academy. Did you know at the time that you wanted to be an attorney? Did you plan to own a vineyard? What twists and turns did your life take along the way? When I entered […]

Q&A with John Flynn, Owner/Grower, Griffins Lair

06/01/20

You grew up in the Midwest in farm country. Your mom and dad were college professors, but your mom grew up on a ranch near Santiago, Chile. What influence did that have on your decision to become a vineyard owner/grower? My family has been ranching since the early 1900s. My great grandfather grew up in […]

Q&A with Cody & Emily Rasmussen, Desire Lines Wine Co

04/26/20

You both grew up in Iowa and wine wasn’t part of your family experiences. Do you remember the first wine you tasted and whether you liked it? Cody: Outside of communion at the Lutheran church I grew up in, the first wine I ever tasted was at the Morgenhof Estate in Stellenbosh, South Africa. I […]

Q&A with Ana Keller, Grower & Estate Director, Keller Estate

03/29/20

You were 18 years old, living in Mexico City and just about to enter college when your father purchased 650 acres of land in Petaluma. As a teenager, were you excited about spending time in California? Did you ever think you’d one day be responsible for growing and selling grapes and being in the California wine industry? I’ve always loved plants, […]

Q&A with Kerith Overstreet, Bruliam Wines

02/29/20

Your dad inspired you to be a doctor and get your MD degree, which you did in 1998, yet you’ve chosen to be a winemaker. Tell us what inspired you to go from pathologist to enologist? Do you ever think about going back to medicine? Throughout medical school and residency training, I was always an enthusiastic […]

Q&A with Ron Noble, Noble Family Vineyards

01/30/20

You and your wife, Yun Chu, have a 24–acre vineyard in the Petaluma Gap. How and when did you acquire the land and why did you choose this site? We acquired the property in 1999 with the aspiration that one day there would be a vineyard there. The vineyard wasn’t developed until 2008. We wanted to make sure we […]

Q&A with Tom & Ashley Darling, Co-Owners of Darling Wines

12/30/19

The two of you met at college while you were students. When did you first start talking about making wine? Were you both “all in” or did one of you have to talk the other into it? Tom: We didn’t really think about wine until a couple of years after graduating. In 2014 we were […]

Q&A with Hsiomei Hung & Roger Mead, Lichau Hill Vineyards

11/27/19

Neither of you have backgrounds in viticulture–you’re both urban professionals—but you moved to Sonoma Mountain after falling in love with a property that just happened to have a vineyard on it. When did it become “real” to you that you are now grape-growers? Were there ever any doubts or regrets? Moving to this property is the best […]

Q&A with Winemaker, Tom Gendall, Cline Cellars

10/31/19

Given your accent, we know you’re not from California. Can you tell us where you were born and what motivated you to get into the wine industry? I am from Christchurch, New Zealand and lived there until 2011, when I moved to Sonoma. The high school I attended was broad-minded; in our final two years […]

Q&A with Grower, Scott Welch, Jackson Family Wines

09/30/19

Why did you choose viticulture as your profession and how did you get your first job? I grew up on a Chardonnay vineyard in Potter Valley, Mendocino County and life revolved around viticulture and the ranch, so I guess I was born into that first job. When did you start working with Jackson Family Wines […]

Q&A with Winemaker Jake Hawkes, Carpenter Wines

08/30/19

You and your dad started making wine together. You’ve said he’s the smartest man you know. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from him about the business of winemaking? My dad taught me the value of being stubborn and oblivious. This is a hard business and, to some extent, a changeable one. It takes years […]

Q&A with Grower, Scott Tweten, Volamus Vineyards

07/30/19

Your vineyard property at one time had five different grape varieties, but now it’s all Pinot Noir. Why did you make this change? When we purchased the property in 2006, the existing vineyard had been planted with the idea that the prior owner, who intended to make their own wine, wouldn’t have to drink the […]

Q&A with Winemaker Shane Finley, Thirty-Seven Wines

06/30/19

You’ve said that the book, Wine for Dummies, got you hooked on the idea of becoming a winemaker. When did you first think it might be possible to earn a living as a winemaker? Were there any setbacks or turns in the road that made you think twice? What did your parents say? After returning from […]

Q&A with Grower Ria D’Aversa, McEvoy Ranch

05/29/19

Are you farming sustainably and/or organically and what specific practices are you most proud of? McEvoy Ranch is certified organic by CCOF and it is something we are very proud of. Our founder, Nan McEvoy, and the ranch team developed the land through regenerative cycling of nutrients and detailed care for each crop planted, and […]

Q&A with Garrett Martin, Adobe Road Winemaker

04/30/19

Which vineyards in the Petaluma Gap do you source fruit from and what made you select these vineyard sites? I source fruit across the Petaluma Gap. In the south I partner with Griffin’s Lair for Pinot Noir, and the Sangiacomo family for Syrah. In the north Gap I source from the Sangiacomo’s Roberts Road Vineyard […]

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Q&A with Dr Liz Thach, MW, Emeritus Member of PGWA’s Board of Directors & Distinguished Professor of Wine, Sonoma State University

01/01/21