Inspiration Vineyards and Winery

Slight exaggeration, but actually true. Although it has only been since 1999 that Barbara and I started producing wine for friends and family, our fascination with wine goes back a long way. In fact, wine is what brought us together. We met while I was working at Mirassou Winery's tasting room in San Jose, California. It may also be possible that my interest in wine is in my blood. My great-grandparents owned vineyards in San Martin, California in the early 1900s (see photo below). After leaving Mirassou, my knowledge and interest in wine continued to grow. I began independently teaching wine appreciation classes on the San Francisco Peninsula. Subsequently, I took classes through UC Davis Extension in Enology and Viticulture. Then in 1999, Barbara and I produced our first wine, one barrel of Contra Costa Zinfandel using grapes purchased from Rosenblum Cellars. As production expanded and the medals started validating our efforts, we became more and more aware that steps needed to be taken to move our home winery operations into a larger facility that could be bonded and licensed to produce a commercial product. So in 2001 our dreams came true and we bought a beautiful 6 acre property in Sonoma County, complete with 4.5 acres of vineyards. In 2002, while waiting for our permits, we contracted with another winery facility where we could produce our first commercial wines. In June of 2003, we announced our first release, and by fall our official winery operation began on-site, with the production of approximately 500 cases. By 2009 our production had grown to approximately 2000 cases and it was time to look for a larger space to produce and sell our wines. In September 2010, we moved our winemaking operations and opened a tasting room in the Pinecreek Business Park where alongside several other well known wineries, we are now open daily for tours and wine tasting. These are exciting times for our winery! Thank you for visiting us today. Please check back often for new developments and information about our current and future wine releases.