2027 Wineries

07 Feb Starfield Vineyards

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.

24 Jan The Steven Kent Winery

Posted at 06:59h in 2025 Wineries, 2026 Wineries, 2027 Wineries, Los Angeles 2026, Los Angeles 2027, San Jose 2026, San Jose 2027, Wineries

The Steven Kent Winery

2245 S. Vasco Rd, Ste C, Livermore, CA 94550
stevenkent.com

Region: Livermore Valley

Owner: Steven and Beth Mirassou

Winemaker: Steven, Beth, and Aidan Mirassou

About: The Steven Kent Winery in the Livermore Valley is the preeminent producer of Cab Franc in the US.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Cabernet Franc, because it is the most alluring, beguiling, delicious, sexy, food-friendly grape…and it is criminally undiscovered.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Though I had known of Cab Franc, tasting Loire Valley versions in 2000 opened my eyes to a whole different way of thinking about winemaking and the most important parts of those (and all) wines. Keep the wines as pure as possible and help to shepherd in the most authentic and inherently valuable qualities each grape contains.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Bottomless allure and complexity, Cab Franc is the sexiest grape alive.

06 Mar Tablas Creek Vineyard

Posted at 01:33h in 2025 Wineries, 2026 Wineries, 2027 Wineries, Los Angeles 2026, Los Angeles 2027, San Jose 2026, San Jose 2027, Wineries

Tablas Creek Vineyard

9339 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446
tablascreek.com

Region: Paso Robles

Owners: The Haas and Perrin families

Winemaker: Neil Collins

About: Tablas Creek Vineyard, in the Paso Robles Adelaida District, is a pioneer of the American Rhone movement and the first Regenerative Organic Certified™ winery in the world.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? It’s unfair to ask us this! So, let’s go with the two rarest grapes we grow. On the white side Picardan. When we planted our half-acre it increased the world’s footprint by 40%. And on the red side, Vaccarese, where when we bottled it in 2019, we think it was the first 100% Vaccarese from anywhere in the world in 50+ years.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? My first wine tasting memory — the first time I remember tasting a wine and understanding what the adults were talking about — was Gewürztraminer. It really did taste like rose petals, which I thought was so cool.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? They offer an incredible variety of flavors and character, thrive in a variety of climates and soils, and can be remarkably valuable in blends as well as on their own.

Teffy Wines Photograph by Purcilla Ibarra

30 Sep Teffy Wines

Posted at 02:47h in 2027 Wineries, Los Angeles 2027, Wineries

Teffy Wines

406 E Haley St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
www.teffywines.com

Region: Santa Barbara County (Santa Ynez Valley and Alisos Canyon)

Owners: Lydia Richards and Stephen Searle

Winemakers: Lydia Richards and Stephen Searle

About: Teffy Wines is a partnership between Lydia Richards and Stephen Searle, two passionate wine professionals from diverse backgrounds and cultures united by a shared love of wine, and food; together, we bring over 20 years of combined experience in the wine industry. Rooted in Santa Barbara, Teffy produces minimal intervention wines that show a pure expression of site, vintage and varietal from distinct vineyards in the region, working closely with growers who share a commitment to exceptional winemaking, environmental impact and sustainability. Focusing on Chenin Blanc, Gamay and Syrah, the wines are made to be fresh, lively and diverse at the table: complex, but approachable.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? We LOVE Chenin Blanc. It’s all about the texture. Chenin is chic, bright, aromatic, silky, and just outright delicious! It’s also an incredibly versatile grape, it’s fabulous in all its forms and styles: oaked or unoaked, sparkling or still, sweet, off-dry, or dry. Every time, Chenin finds a way to reveal its best side and express its character in its own special way.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? So many examples to showcase, but distinctly remember trying a Castello di Verduno wine made with the Pelaverga grape. It was so bright, juicy, fresh and so complex. When you think you know Piedmont, exciting discoveries like this make you realize, we are continuing to scratch the surface when it comes to wine and that’s soo exciting!

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? We love the sense of discovery and exploration that wine brings, there’s always an exciting new grape variety waiting to be known and tasted.

01 Jan Terah Wine Co.

Posted at 01:56h in 2025 Wineries, 2026 Wineries, 2027 Wineries, San Jose 2026, San Jose 2027, Wineries

Terah Wine Co.

425 S 3rd Street, Richmond, CA
www.terahwineco.com

Region: Bay Area

Owner: Terah Bajjalieh

Winemaker: Terah Bajjalieh

About: Small producer, focused on working with grower partners who farm organically and biodynamically. Making wine from Mediterranean varietals or varietals off the beaten path. Looking to produce food-friendly wines showing balance and site.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Barbera. I love the flavor and acid profile of the grape

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape?

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Acidity and the huge flavors!

07 Nov Tercero Wines

Posted at 21:42h in 2025 Wineries, 2026 Wineries, 2027 Wineries, Los Angeles 2027, San Jose 2026, Wineries

tercero wines

2445 Alamo Pintado Avenue Suite 105, Los Olivos, CA. 93441
www.tercerowines.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owner and Winemaker: Larry Schaffer

About: I concentrate on making small lot, hand crafted wines using fruit from leading Santa Barbara County vineyards. My main focus are Rhone varieties – I’ll be President of the Board of Directors of the Rhone Rangers in 2025 – but also work with other interesting varieties.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Counoise

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? I can still remember the first time I smelled a Gewurztraminer – those hauntingly beautiful aromatics were like nothing I had ever experienced in a wine before – and to this day, the aromatics of this variety remain so special to me.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? I love how they provide distinctive flavors and aromas that expand ones horizons as to what wine can be.

09 Mar Thacher Winery and Vineyard

Posted at 00:39h in 2024 Wineries, 2025 Wineries, 2026 Wineries, 2027 Wineries, Los Angeles 2026, Los Angeles 2027, San Jose 2026, San Jose 2027, Wineries

Thacher Winery and Vineyard

8355 Vineyard Dr., Paso Robles thacherwinery.com Region: Paso Robles Owner/Winemaker: Sherman Thacher About: Our mission is to grow unique, and food-friendly wines that purely express the terroirs we farm throughout the Central Coast. We strive to make elegant wines with more nuances than sheer power. What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Cinsault What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? 2015 Cinsault What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? The unique expression that these forgotten grapes can produce.

20 Sep Thumbprint Cellars

Posted at 20:33h in 2027 Wineries, Los Angeles 2027, San Jose 2027, Wineries

Thumbprint Cellars

52 Front St. Healdsburg, CA 95448
thumbprintcellars.com

Region: Sonoma

Owner: Scott Lindstrom-Dake

Winemakers: Scott Lindstrom-Dake

About: Scott Lindstrom-Dake, winemaker and founder of thumbprint cellars, majored in Fine Arts in College. One summer he studied Art History in Florence, Italy, and upon returning inspired, Scott decided to start making wine. His first vintage was tasty and he and Erica drank most of their creation! The holiday came around and as college students, the couple decided to give away some of their prized wine to friends and family. Erica gave Scott a gold ink pen to sign some bottles. It malfunctioned and spewed gold ink onto a bottle. Scott used his thumb to wipe up the dripping gold ink and inadvertently placed it on one of the other bottles. Soon, they were all adorned with one of Scott’s gold thumbprints. A passion and new wine brand were born.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Only one? Hmm, then old vine Carignane (karen yawn). Carignane was the first wine grape I picked and made wine from. Over the years I have been sourcing old vine Carignane to craft as a standalone and single vineyard varietal. The old vines grow lower yields with higher concentration of varietal character. I make this as a mid-weight red and sometimes even serve it slightly chilled. Carignane is also a versatile food-wine.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? I had never heard of Carignane when a friends client offered their “few vines that weren’t picked”. The old head-pruned vines, each like a miniature tree and meticulously pruned all resembling individual works of art. As an art student at the time I thought, “well this should be fun!” From our garage winemaking in 1995 to our current 2026 harvest, I have never been disappointed with our old vine Carignane.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Sharing them with our guests and watching the surprise of discovering something new!

07 Oct Vezer Family Vineyard

Posted at 01:36h in 2027 Wineries, San Jose 2027, Wineries

Vezer Family Vineyard

2522 Mankas Corner Rd Fairfield, Ca. 94534
www.Vezer.com

Owner: Frank Vezer

Winemaker: Daniel Benton

About: Vezer Family Vineyard is Frank Vezér’s family winery in Suisun Valley, a short drive east of Napa, where he started making wine in 2001 and released the first vintage in 2003. The estate is built around Petite Sirah and Zinfandel, led by La Salette, a Petite Sirah named for his mother. Guests taste small-lot, handcrafted wines at three properties: Mankas Gardens, the historic Blue Victorian, and the Estate Ranch.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Charbono, it is the one almost nobody orders by name. California has only about 80 acres left, a holdover from old Napa plantings that never caught on, and it still shows up in small Suisun Valley lots, including ours at the Blue Victorian. It gives you deep color and a plummy, minty red that stays lighter and fresher than Petite Sirah, which is exactly why it stays under the radar.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? The first time I met Charbono, someone poured it blind, and I called it a light Petite Sirah that had learned some manners. I was wrong on the grape and right on the feeling, and I have been chasing that inky, minty surprise ever since.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? What I love most is that nobody has decided yet what an undiscovered grape is supposed to be. You get to taste it without a reputation in the way, and sometimes the oddball in the corner is the bottle people remember.

09 Mar Trail Marker Wine Co.

Posted at 01:00h in 2024 Wineries, 2025 Wineries, 2026 Wineries, 2027 Wineries, San Jose 2026, San Jose 2027, Wineries

Trail Marker Wine Co.

1160 Hopper Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95403
www.trailmarkerwineco.com

Region: Sonoma County

Owners/Winemakers: Drew Huffine and Emily Virgil

About: We’re purists at Trail Marker and Kid Sister. We source fruit from small, yet responsibly farmed and passionately cared for vineyards, anywhere from Mendocino to Santa Cruz. Our traditional winemaking style allows us to make wines that are high acid, low alcohol — well balanced expressions of these uncommon places. They’re wines we like to drink and share, and we think you will too.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Trousseau

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Jura Trousseau

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? That people just taste from a place of pleasure rather than what they THINK the wine should taste like (as is the case with more typical varietals).