2027 Wineries

Ottavino Wines

1160 Hopper Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
ottavinowines.com

Region: Santa Rosa

Owner: Shalini Sekhar

Winemaker: Shalini Sekhar

About: Shalini’s first passion was playing the piccolo. Now her passion is creating small-lot wines: a natural migration from one form of art and science to another. Ottavino focuses on varieties and winemaking techniques which are less common in California but outstanding nonetheless. Ottavino currently produces Grüner Veltliner, Rosé of St. Laurent, St. Laurent, and Chardonnay in Austrian oak. As an Indian-American woman winemaker originally from New Jersey, Shalini knows a thing or two about being unexpected but exceptional!

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Grüner Veltliner – It is unlike working with Chardonnay, which I had a decade+ + of experience making. My favorite Grüners from Austria are from the Kamptal region and ride the line between minerality, spice, and fruit purity. Learning to work with Grüner in California to get the spiciness inherent in the grape to balance with a core of fruit has taken time to understand.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? I think it was when I began studying for WSET exams before I changed careers into winemaking. I remember our German unit and tasting Scheurebe for the first time (and learning to pronounce it!). The intensity of the aroma, but truly dry palate felt so distinctly different than Riesling itself.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? I’m truly focused on helping people discover these other amazing grapes. I’m applying classic, minimal intervention winemaking, which I’ve done for years with Pinot Noir & Chardonnay, to show that you can make noteworthy wines from grapes you don’t encounter as often.

Oxlee Graham Wines

3360 Coffey Ln, Suite E, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 oxleegrahamwines.com Region: Sonoma County and Mendocino County Owner: Jennie Murphy Winemaker: Jennie Murphy About: Born from our passion for crafting unique wines with authentic stories, the OG wines embody elegance and creativity. Genuine varietal expression in our wines comes from minimal intervention in the cellar and a great focus on detail. What is your favorite undiscovered grape? My Chenin Blanc/Picpoul Blanc blend. It was such a happy accident blending these two the first year I made this wine and it was clear they were meant to be together – it was pure magic! What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? I got to work with Petit Verdot in my previous role and spent time really learning about how to handle this varietal in a delicate way to bring out her prettier side – this made me fall in love with all the layers. Learning how a wine wants to be made rather than making it in the “traditional” way was really eye opening – when I started my own brand I knew I had to capture it in bottle. What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? I love having people discover them – it can be so exciting when someone sees how special these lesser known varietals are for the first time.

Pali Wine Co.

1036 W. Aviation Drive. Lompoc, CA, 93436
paliwineco.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owner: Perr Family

Winemaker: Aaron Walker

About: From the Palisades to Santa Barbara County. What started as backyard dinners and a love of wine has grown into a family-run winery with roots across California’s Central Coast. Founded by Tim and Judy Perr in 2005, Pali Wine Co. blends tradition, curiosity, and community—from our early days in a Lompoc garage to our estate vineyard, natural wine project, and coastal tasting rooms. Today, Pali is guided by two generations of the Perr family, our longtime winemaker Aaron Walker, and a commitment to wines that reflect people, place, and purpose.

Pali Wine Co. is our flagship label, focused on small-lot wines that reflect the character of California’s Central Coast. In 2012, we planted Pali Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills—originally with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, now also home to Gamay, Syrah, Chenin Blanc, and Dornfelder. From sourcing to cellar, our wines are shaped by place, guided by sustainability, and grounded in long-standing grower relationships.

Neighborhood is the sketchbook for Pali—a space to experiment, push boundaries, and explore new ideas. Led by Nick and Carmen Perr, this label is rooted in natural winemaking and shaped by the energy of Los Angeles. Every bottle is wild-fermented, unfined, unfiltered, and made with minimal sulfur.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? A few favorites: Cabernet Pfeffer, Dornfelder, and Orange Muscat.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? We first experimented with Dornfelder when sourcing from our neighbors, Huber Vineyard. Our 2015 vintage was extremely dark in color with a surprisingly light, acid-driven frame. Nearly 10 years later, we planted Dornfelder on our estate property and are producing varietals under Pali Wine Co. and Neighborhood Winery, experimenting with our winemaking for this stunning grape!

On another note, we were privileged to begin sourcing from Enz Vineyard in 2022. We now source Cabernet Pfeffer, Zinfandel, Orange Muscat, and ancient-vine Mourvèdre from their property. We love the opportunity to highlight terroir in each of our wines, whether it’s skin-contact Orange Muscat or carbonic macerated Cab Pfeffer!

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Sharing with our guests and wine club members across our tasting rooms!

Perlegos Wine

PO Box 248 Woodbridge CA 95258
perlegoswine.com

Region: Lodi

Owners: Jeff & John Perlegos

Winemaker: Jeff & John Perlegos

About: Growing up in the central valley of California, we’ve inherited a sense of pride from our Greek parents and have continued to farm vineyards and make wine, incorporating the Mediterranean lifestyle and culture into our everyday lives. We don’t make wines that are made to have an instant and powerful impact like tasting room wines; our wines are wines of finesse and elegance, and are made to be enjoyed with friends, family, and food.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Assyrtiko – represents our Greek heritage, and makes one of the great wines of the world

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? It was Cinsault, and I could smell its wonderful aromas in the restaurant from across the room.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? The mystery of trying something new

Starfield Vineyards

2750 Jacquier Road, Placerville, CA 95667 starfieldvineyards.com Region: El Dorado Owner: Tom Sinton & Rob Sinton Winemaker: Rob Sinton About: Starfield Vineyards is an estate vineyard and winery in El Dorado, halfway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe — on the Highway 50 corridor near Placerville. Starfield Vineyards is known for its high elevation mountain vineyards in El Dorado and the fresh wines from rare varieties that exhibit the characteristic Sierra Spice from growing grapes in the pine forests of California. What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Cinsaut is my personal favorite. It was hard to find varietal examples of it before we planted it and it looks almost like a table grape, but it produces a light red wine with vibrant strawberry notes and a hint of leafy-bramble. It’s great straight from the fridge on hot California summer days. What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? I always felt like I gravitated toward lesser known grapes so it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment. I remember going through Cabernet Franc and Assyrtiko phases before I’d ever made it to my Cab Sauv, Pinot, and Chardonnay phase. What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? It’s still a rare day when I open a bottle of a variety that isn’t considered an “undiscovered grape”. These varieties offer new drinkers a rare opportunity to discover their own opinions about varieties without the vast input of decades of publications and critics so I think it’s easier to find your own wine-tasting voice when drinking these wines and played an important role in shaping my winemaking (and wine-drinking) preferences.