Kaena Wine Co

Santa Ynez Valley

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Kaena Wine Co

Our Story

Winemaking is deeply personal to me. It is my artistry, my meditation, my profession, my life. It has been 15 years now and when I look back at my first harvest at Beckmen Vineyards in 1999, the slope of my learning curve was exponentially vertical. I absorbed everything I could. After a few years, I moved to Fess Parker Winery, and in 2006 I returned to Beckman as head winemaker. I left my day job in 2014 and I am now 100% Kaena Wine. Along the way I have had incredible opportunities to work amongst some of the best winemakers in the Santa Ynez Valley. They helped guide me toward my winemaking goals of establishing my own brand and taught me great lessons: Work as hard as you possibly can. Ask questions. Be aware. Most importantly, be humble. My first vintage of syrah I had to press by hand through cheesecloth. That was 2001. We all have to start somewhere.

Through the years, I have also been fortunate to work with a tremendous variety of fruit from incredible vineyards here in Santa Barbara County. This exploration has led me to my primary focus: Grenache. It is a varietal that is intensely aromatic, sexy, feminine, bold and always full of surprise. In my obsession with this varietal, my goal is to create the most diverse Grenache portfolio in the Santa Ynez Valley by working with the best fruit available. I am pretty close to accomplishing this goal.