3/4 of an acre of Baco Noir in Sebastopol, planted in the 1960s by an Italian immigrant who worked at the SF landfill and needed a grape that could mostly take care of itself. Sixty years in, still never sprayed. Notes from the 2023 vintage, and the story of the vineyard that started North American Press.
This comprehensive guide will help you match our resilient hybrid and native grape wines with your favorite meals, whether you're planning a holiday feast, weeknight dinner, or special celebration.
Reflections from my Night of Ideas panel at the San Francisco Public Library, where I explored how working with hybrid and native grapes challenges wine culture's traditional hierarchies and offers a more inclusive, sustainable vision for American winemaking.
There's a small hillside vineyard on the Sonoma Coast that defies convention. Surrounded by some of the most prestigious Pinot Noir plantings in California, this plot grows something entirely different—a resilient French-American hybrid grape called Baco Noir. This vineyard has become the heart of North American Press and the beginning of my journey to advocate for hybrid grapes in California.
When I left my position at Radio-Coteau nearly a decade ago to focus exclusively on hybrid and native grape varieties, people thought I was crazy. Why would anyone abandon working with premium Pinot Noir on the Sonoma Coast to plant grapes most Californians had never heard of?
At North American Press, sustainability isn't just a marketing buzzword—it's the foundation of everything we do. As climate change intensifies and environmental concerns mount, I'm often asked why I've devoted my winemaking career to hybrid grapes. The answer lies in understanding what true sustainability means in the context of viticulture.