Coming Home
Mike was determined to make wine again and scanned the internet
for vineyard properties. In 1999 we flew to California to inspect
several sites Mike had found on-line. Once again, we had friends
by our side, and with their encouragement we bought a property with
20 acres of Chardonnay vineyards and a decrepit but charming vintage
cottage. At that time, we were still living in New Jersey, but our
future was now firmly planted in Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley.
During the next three years, we visited our vines regularly and sold our fruit to a local winery. Excited by the prospect of making wine again, Mike replanted 8 acres to Syrah. In 2001, we had the opportunity to convert the cottage into our new home, transforming our dream of living in wine country into a reality.
We moved to Dry Creek the next year and Mike again made garage wine. We can thank our new friends and neighbors for encouraging Mike's contrarian urge to use the very young Syrah grapes instead of dropping them on the ground. Friends and family from all over came to help with the harvest, pressing the grapes and just enjoying our new wine country life. Even when we progressed to our first commercial crush in 2003, we've kept our friends close, helping with harvest, racking, bottling, and checking in with the wine thief from time to time.
For us, Amista is a dream come true. It's created a home for us connected to land, friends and a lifestyle we cherish. We invite you to join us for harvest or a bottling party, and enjoy the fun, excitement and pride we experience making wine with and for our friends.