Wine Berserkers have supported tiny family wineries for years, long before “authentic experiences” became marketing. You’ve sought out the under-the-radar producers, visited people farming small vineyards for small-scale estate labels, and helped keep a lot of small wineries alive through your direct $upport. As one of those small wineries, thank you. Thank you for the berserker day love and thank you to the handful of folks I’ve had the privilege of hosting at Elkhorn Peak.
I’m really excited about a new CA state regulation (AB720) which gives small vineyard owners access to DTC tastings at the vineyard. It’s such an incredible new tool small producers can use - it has the power to really evolve how people experience wine county. I’m so excited by its potential that I’m championing a new movement in CA wine to unite micro-wineries, and I want to hear from Berserkers…
What small producers should I reach out to to join the Micro-Winery Guild? A list of our existing Micro-Winery Guild members are all here. Please drop some names in the comments, I’d love to tap into the knowledge base here.
Here’s (essentially) the Micro-Winery Guild pitch:
Small wineries and growers across Napa and Sonoma have come together to form the Micro-Winery Guild, a non-profit organization focused on supporting independently owned micro-wineries producing under 5,000 cases annually.
The goal is to preserve and elevate the small family farm experience because it makes wine country special. And we’re promoting a specific type of experience that we’re calling the T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experience.
The idea is pretty simple: create a recognizable standard for immersive, authentic micro-winery experiences, which are hosted by growers and winemakers. No scripts. No hospitality teams. No luxury retail operation.
T.A.S.T.E. is an acronym that stands for: terroir, artisan, small-scale, trust and engagement. Every Micro-Winery Guild member has to offer a minimum of 3 T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experiences annually. All T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experiences take place in the vineyard and are hosted by the grower/winemaker/owner. These experiences are where:
- you walk vineyards with the farmer
- taste wines with the winemaker who made them
- sample berries before harvest
- stomp grapes with your kids
- engage in small scale winemaking
- disgorge pét-nat by hand
- blend wine
We’ve developed a seal that identifies these specific types of experiences. The seal is given to a producer after a peer review from the Micro-Winery Guild. We hope it will be recognized soon as the official seal for an authentic micro-winery experience; a marker of: small-scale, hands-on, grower-driven wine country experiences.
I genuinely believe AB720 allows California micro-wineries to come above ground for the first time ever. It could lead to a huge shift in how people experience wine in wine country. I’m tired of what exists and think the next wave in wine country will be led by many micro-wineries, all with unique experiences to offer, with T.A.S.T.E. verified experiences peppered heavily throughout wine country itineraries.
So, the Micro-Winery Guild is using AB720 as the framework behind the creation the Micro-Winery Guild.
This summer and fall, Guild members are hosting all kinds of T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experiences throughout wine country, like:
- vineyard walks
- grape stomps
- winemaker-for-a-day experiences
- berry sampling before harvest
- small dinners
- tractor demonstrations
- live music nights
- hands-on farming experiences
You can browse upcoming events from all of our members here: microwineryguild.com
We’re building this as a collaborative effort between small producers who believe the future of wine country is rooted in agri-tourism. So please don’t forget to drop some names in the comments, I’m here to tap into the knowledge base.
And I think a lot of Berserkers are exactly the audience these experiences were built for so I hope I see some of you at my events this summer/fall! My events are on the MWG website, and here’s a direct link to them (for stellar vineyard, Pinot and Sparkling events): https://www.elkhornpeak.com/collection/events/
Cheers and thank you!!
Elise