My fiancee Lori and I moved to Davis, California from Los Angeles in the summer of 2001. Lori was starting law school in August, and it quickly became clear that I would need a hobby to get through the next three years. I began making beer at home, and after a shopping trip for some beer yeast one day, I found the phone number of a farmer in Solano County with grapes for sale. This led me to 750 lbs of Zinfandel grapes just down the road in Dixon that had been picked, but which didn't have a home.

That trip to Dixon brought me to Jess Jones' farm on the south end of town. Over the next year, Jess walked me through the winemaking process, sharing his knowledge of grape farming and winemaking. The 750 pounds of Zin turned into a fantastic homemade wine, and I found myself drawn to the process of making wine. For the next two years, I fermented any grapes I could get my hands on and learned more and more about the differences between the varietals, the different growing regions, and the subtleties of elements like yeast and the various cooperages.

Late in the summer of 2003, I made the decision to make wine on a commercial level. Even though I have done freelance computer work since moving to California, I had never really started a business. So I jumped in with the '03 harvest, made the wine, and then had a while to think about how I was going to turn this new passion into an entity. The good thing about winemaking is that once you make the wine, you have at least a year or two to figure out your next move.

So in the Spring of 2005, I am now the proud parent of 223 cases of big, elegant Zinfandel. The first of what I believe will be many interesting vintages to come, and certainly worth the trip I've been on for the last two years.

This is really only the beginning of the story. I completed the 2004 harvest last year, and as I write this, am planning the 2005 harvest. The following phrase is something I keep coming back to as I look to the next few years of slow growth and bringing out the other brands.

"Do something you love to support something you believe in."

It's my new motto I think.

Cheers!