The path to becoming a winemaker was not at all clear, though my interests as a youngster helped stir the pot in that direction. I grew up in Contra Costa County, California, which is far more famous for housing subdivisions than for wine grapes. I spent my time exploring the “outdoors” which consisted of exploring the foothills of Mt. Diablo, fishing in the San Pablo bay, and gardening with my grandma. My interests in food developed with a job as a dishwasher for a culinary school during my summer breaks in high school. My focus on wine was sparked because of my wrestling (when you are deprived of food, you tend to dream about it…)

I chose to go to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo because it had a great wrestling team and Cal Poly offered a degree in Wine and Viticulture. I shifted to focus on academics in lieu of athletics after a few seasons, as my interests escalated into minors in soil science, sustainable agriculture and plant protection science. My first internship was at Saucelito Canyon Winery in Arroyo Grande, CA where I learned to work with ancient, dry-farmed vines.  Not far from Saucelito Canyon, I met my mentor, Justin Willett of Tyler Winery, while rock climbing in remote Santa Barbara County.  This chance meeting led to a four year endeavor as the assistant winemaker at both Tyler and Lieu Dit Winery.  In between harvests at Tyler, I traveled to work abroad in Margaret River, Western Australia and in Austria (Wachau, Weingut Tegernseerhof) before moving up north to work for the classic Santa Cruz Mountain winery Thomas Fogarty. Stirm Wine Co. is now located in southern Santa Cruz County near Watsonville; central between the key appellations we work with.

Ryan Stirm