2026 Wineries

Copia Vineyards and Winery

5076 Mustard Creek Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446
https://copiavineyards.com/

Region: Paso Robles

Owner: Anita and Varinder Sahi

Winemaker: Varinder Sahi

About: The word Copia is a Latin root word that means abundance or plenty. It’s an apt name for a winery that is created by two people who have always chased the glass half full.

The story of Copia Vineyards begins with the passion of Anita and Varinder Sahi, their shared love of wine and the beauty of its source. The Sahis each had different paths to this world. He has an engineering and business background, and she is a restaurant and marketing veteran. He globetrotted for work, and his love for wine grew. She worked side-by-side with some of the finest restaurateurs and Michelin-starred chefs, cultivating her zeal for fine food and wine. Their shared interests, entrepreneurship, and life’s ever-winding path sparked a trip to Paso Robles Wine Country in 2015. Essentially, they never left.

In 2017, the Sahis’ search to find a special site to produce world-class Rhône and Bordeaux varietals was successful. They became the proud stewards of 50 acres of paradise-on-earth in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. It is now a veritable winemaker’s dream with nearly 40,000 vines planted in 24 distinct blocks. In 2022, their estate grew to include 26 acres of dramatic landscape in the Adelaida District. Both vineyard sites have breathtakingly beautiful slopes, calcareous soils, and strong marine influence. Simply put, the Sahis believe that these vineyards are legendary. The vines on the Copia Estate are now producing some of the most opulent, concentrated fruit with densely rich varietal characteristics.

The Copia wines are the result of a lifetime’s worth of learning experiences, efforts taken, and opportunities seized. This is but a snapshot of the story that surrounds each bottle. It is our pleasure to share this with you as you explore Copia wines. “Cheers,” to the path that brought you here today.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? For me, Mourvèdre is one of the most underrated grapes to work with. It can be a bit demanding — it needs warmth and patience — but when it’s done right, the results are outstanding. I love how it combines dark fruit with earthy, savory notes and a beautiful structure that really ages gracefully. What I find most rewarding is how transparently it reflects its terroir. Mourvèdre has such depth and authenticity, and I think more people are starting to appreciate just how special it is.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? It had to be Mourvèdre. It is a grape of quiet power and complexity. It ripens late and thrives in warm, dry conditions, producing deeply colored wines with firm tannins and remarkable depth. What I love most is its balance of dark fruit — blackberry, plum, and black cherry — with earthy, savory notes. It’s highly expressive of terroir, evolving beautifully with age. When handled with care, Mourvèdre shows both strength and elegance — a true reflection of place and patience.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? What I love most about working with undiscovered grapes is the sense of exploration they bring. These varieties often don’t have a set formula, which gives me the freedom to experiment and really listen to what the fruit wants to become. There’s something exciting about uncovering a grape’s potential — learning its quirks in the vineyard, how it reacts to different fermentations, and how it expresses its terroir. It reminds me why I fell in love with winemaking in the first place: the craft, the curiosity, and the chance to create something authentic and unexpected.

CrossHatch Winery

1090 Edison St #104, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
www.crosshatchwinery.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owner: Michelle Vautier

Winemaker: Ryan Carr & Michelle Vautier

About: At CrossHatch Winery, we celebrate the artistry of co-fermentation, crafting small-batch wines that blend tradition, creativity, and global influences. Inspired by the intricate technique of cross-hatching, we layer flavors and textures to create wines that are both complex and approachable. For us, winemaking is about more than just the wine – it’s about sustainability, storytelling, and the connections we create along the way. CrossHatch is a place where wine, stories, and cultures ferment together – one barrel at a time.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Malbec

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Growing up in Argentina, wine was a part of everyday life- woven into every meal, every gathering, every celebration. Anyone who has been there knows that Malbec is anything but forgotten; it’s the heartbeat of our wine culture. But when I started traveling beyond Argentina, I was surprised to find that Malbec wasn’t the household name I had always assumed it to be. What felt essential and ever-present to me was, in many places, just another lesser-known varietal, often overshadowed by more familiar grapes. That realization sparked my curiosity and deepened my appreciation for the overlooked, shaping my approach to wine and inspiring me to explore, experiment, and share those discoveries through CrossHatch Winery.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? I love that forgotten grapes have a story to tell – one that’s often overlooked or waiting to be rediscovered. But what fascinates me most is how ‘forgotten’ is a matter of perspective. Traveling the world, I’ve seen how a grape that’s rare or underappreciated in one place can be the pride of another, deeply rooted in its culture and history. These varietals challenge expectations and invite curiosity, offering unexpected flavors and expressions that you don’t always find in the more well-known grapes. Working with them allows me to experiment, to bring something unique to the glass, and to honor traditions while giving them a fresh perspective. There’s something special about introducing someone to a wine they’ve never tried before – especially one that has been quietly thriving in a corner of the world they may not have explored yet – and watching them fall in love with it.

Drava Wines

1378 E Turner Rd, Ste D, Lodi CA 95240
www.dravawines.com

Region: Lodi

Owners: Steve and William Carson

Winemaker: Steve Carson

About: Drava Wines is owned and operated by brothers Steve and William Carson. A true garagiste winery crushing around 5 tons per year, focusing on unusual varietals. We make different wines every year so the tasting list changes frequently. Small lot, hand harvested, Lodi Rules Certified Sustainable wines.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Teroldego. It’s one of the few wine grapes that consistently delivers good full-bodied wines.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Peloursin, planted by Richard Ripken. He took me barrel tasting at his former winery and there were several varietals he grew and made that I’d never tasted before, and I told him I’ll buy one ton of each in the future. I have made all of them since.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Learning new flavor profiles, and the story of where the grapes came from.

Dry Creek Vineyard

3770 Lambert Bridge Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448
www.drycreekvineyard.com

Region: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County

Owner: Kim Stare Wallace

Winemakers: Tim Bell & Brian Pruett

About: Established in 1972 by David S. Stare, Dry Creek Vineyard is Dry Creek Valley’s flagship winery, located in the heart of Sonoma County. Dave’s daughter, Kim Stare Wallace, serves as President, overseeing a successful family winemaking and grape growing business that includes 185 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards. The winery is 100% Certified Sustainable. Dry Creek Vineyard proudly produces a portfolio of critically acclaimed wines that includes Dry Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Meritage blends, as well as a collection of single-vineyard wines. The winery has been proudly producing a Dry Chenin Blanc for over 50 years, and in the fall of 2025, released a Sparkling Chenin Blanc.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Chenin Blanc because we love the aromatics and flavors as well as its versatility and acidity at lower alcohol levels.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Our founder fell in love with Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, and when he founded the winery in 1972 near Healdsburg, it was a varietal he set out to make. Long before the current wave of enthusiasm for lower-alcohol, aromatic white wines, Dry Creek Vineyard has stayed true to a vibrant, refreshing, and food-friendly expression of Chenin Blanc, setting a trend that is currently in the spotlight. The winery has been making a Dry Chenin Blanc for over 50 years, and for the last 40 years, the grapes have come from the Wilson Ranch in the Clarksburg AVA.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? The chance to share a varietal we love with a new audience, and hopefully they will fall in love with it too!

Harney Lane Vineyards

9010 E Harney Lane, Lodi, Ca 95240
harneylane.com

Region: Lodi

Owners: Kyle and Jorja Lerner

Winemaker: Kyle Lerner

About: As sixth-generation farmers, we’ve learned that high-quality, handcrafted wine requires an immense amount of heart and hard work – nothing can replicate the years we’ve sown into the land and our family’s legacy. Since 1900, with focus and fortitude, we’ve learned that excellence takes endurance, distinction takes determination, and grace takes grit.

That’s why we’ve taken matters into our own hands. We pour our heart into every step of the process – from soil to shelf – we’re committed to making the best possible beverage for our customers and the planet. Our 100% estate-grown wines are produced from sustainably farmed vineyards and meticulously made with no unnecessary additives and an unwavering commitment to quality. The result is a classic collection of naturally smooth, fruit-driven wines, perfect for enjoying in everyday life.

With over a century on Henry Ranch in the heart of Lodi Wine Country, our philosophy has been and will always be: to honestly make wine that is beautifully balanced, and consciously crafted with grace and grit.®

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Our favorite “undiscovered” grape to work with here in Lodi is Tempranillo. While it’s a world-famous varietal in Spain, it remains a true hidden gem in Lodi, and it perfectly embodies our Grace and Grit ethos.

The Grit comes from managing the Tempranillo vine’s tendency to ripen quickly, requiring extremely careful canopy management in our estate vineyards. The reward is the Grace: a deeply-colored, medium-bodied red wine with beautiful balance, bright acidity, and structured tannins.

It gives us those lovely notes of cherry, dried fig, and leather—qualities you might expect from a complex Old World wine—but delivered with the authentic, fruit-forward generosity of Lodi. It’s an elegant, everyday wine that is incredibly food-friendly and continues to surprise both us and our members every vintage. We feel it has an important future in Lodi, and we love being a part of that discovery.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? It was about twenty years ago, and the grape was Tempranillo. What genuinely surprised us was the incredible structure and acidity. Lodi is known for big, ripe fruit, but this Tempranillo delivered that beautiful, dark cherry profile alongside a backbone—a savory, earthy complexity and tannic weight—that was unexpected. It had the Grit of a classic Spanish wine but the expressive fruit of our Lodi soil.

That moment completely changed our perspective. It proved that Lodi could not only produce world-class Zinfandel, but that our vineyard’s specific terroir could nurture sophisticated, age-worthy, “undiscovered” varietals like Tempranillo. That single taste committed us to introducing that complexity to our guests.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? What we love most is the authenticity and the sheer joy of sharing discovery.
Undiscovered grapes, like our Tempranillo, allow us to honor the pioneering spirit of Lodi—that spirit of Grit that has defined us for generations. They challenge us as farmers and winemakers to truly showcase the potential of our century-old estate vineyards beyond Zinfandel.

For our guests, it provides that moment of Grace—the elevated experience of tasting something they may have never encountered, right here in the glass at Harney Lane. It creates an opportunity for connection and education, proving that sophisticated, complex, and beautiful wines can come from a laid-back, genuine place like Lodi. It makes the conversation more interesting and the experience more memorable.