A challenging lifestyle true story of an Earth Friendly Pioneer who emerged from unlikely beginnings. Fueled by the freedom to think outside the box espoused by the Hippie counterculture of the 60s & 70s, Brian’s commitment to the Back to the Land movement coupled with his insatiable self-empowerment attitude found California’s Gold Rush historic Fair Play fertile ground to call home. When the quest to find the perfect crop to grow here settled with wine grapes, no time was wasted to establish the area’s first winery. That story spans four decades and bares both the grit and the glory.

Where it all began in this near forgotten once bustling Gold Rush township of Fair Play, the soil is deep–a coarse sandy loam–this young organic farmer’s dream. These upper reaches of the Sierra Foothills aren’t flat and covered with yellow pine and lots of oaks. Modern day pioneers Brian and Diana find their way through endless challenges while creating the most complete “Ground-to-Glass” wine country experience ever imagined.

Surrounded in snobbery, sophistication and aged over 7,000 years in myths and history, wine may have grabbed your attention; it did mine at an early age. More often reserved to financial fortunes previously created, establishing a presence in the wine industry leaves little room for the young and under-capitalized. Finding Fair Play and surviving 33 vintages making our unique mark in an agricultural industry our means had little business being in is our story.

Imagine living the dreamy lifestyle of owning a small winery, vineyards and bed & breakfast lodge atop a hill with panoramic views of the Sierra Foothills and High Sierra. Brian and Diana were front and center living that dream for four decades. Brian shares their story with a rare combination of inspiration and confessions only their heartfelt commitment and passion to their product and customer experience could muster.