Ryan Stirm is one of those winemakers whose talent and passion are evident the instant you taste his wines. Situated near the town of Aromas (just south of Santa Cruz) Ryan is making some of California’s most inspiring Rieslings, and a variety of other wines both adventurous and timeless. Ryan likes to work with old vines--and importantly, Ryan likes to work in the vineyard, where he spends the majority of the time. His goal for the wines is to transparently present the narrative of the growing season. To that end he monitors, rather than manipulates, the wine as it undergoes native fermentation and matures with time. He’s been recognized by the San Francisco Chronicle as a 2017 ‘Winemaker to Watch,’ and he’s in Oakland this weekend to pour at the (sold-out) natural wine fair Brumaire. We’re thrilled to welcome Ryan to the shop for a winemaker tasting on Saturday, March 9th.

We’ll feature two new releases: a soulful old-vine Riesling from the Wirz Vineyard in San Benito County; and a zippy, citrussy pét-nat Albariño under the Los Chuchaquis label (Ryan’s joint project with Bay Area friends Andrew Paul Nelson and Jehan Hakimian). Finishing the lineup is Ryan’s elegant Pinot Noir from Santa Cruz Mountains.

Stirm Old Vine Riesling Wirz Vineyard, Cienega Valley 2017
Los Chuchaquis Sparkling Albariño Santa Ynez Valley 2018
Stirm Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains 2016

Flight of 3 wines, $15
Saturday, March 9th 12-7pm (Ryan will be present from 3-6pm)
As always, featured bottles will be for sale at 10% off to tasting participants, during the event only.

Wine Club Members get 20% off tastings