Doug Wiens just wanted a little wine.
In 1995, he bought 14 acres of farmland near Lodi, just south of
Sacramento, and decided to plant vineyards. He asked his family - he
has eight siblings - to give him a hand. They helped plant the grape
vines. When the fruit was ready, they helped to pick, crush and
eventually bottle the wine in Wiens' garage.
Before long, what had started out as a Doug Wiens enterprise became Wiens Family Cellars.
In 2001, the company bought 10 acres of vineyards in Temecula.
Earlier this year, it became the newest of the region's growing number
of wineries when it uncorked its first bottles produced from local
grapes.
The family managed to do that while still in the midst of
constructing their winery facility. They crushed and fermented their
crop using loaned and leased equipment. Currently, they are using a
mobile home for offices and a tasting room, but a permanent production
facility, tasting room and banquet hall are nearing completion and are
expected to open mid-October.
It's part of what Linda Kissam, director of the Temecula Valley
Winegrowers Association, says is a three- to five-year process to start
a new winery in the region. And even though the process can be a long
one, more wineries are expected to join the existing 22-member
organization.
"I would say there is about another 18 to 20 on the boards,"
Kissam says. "It's my opinion that we'll probably double in the next
four or five years."
Joe Travis Hart operates one of the older wineries in the valley.
He left his junior high school teaching job in Carlsbad to open Hart
Winery with his wife, Nancy.
"There were three wineries open when we started planting," Hart
recalls. That was in 1974. It wasn't until 1980 that Hart started
crushing his fall crop. He began selling his wine the following year.
He's still surprised when he drives down Rancho California Road, the valley's main artery.
"Frankly I didn't envision we would have 20 some wineries," he says.
It's not unusual, he says, to get several inquiries a week from people who say they want to get into the business.
"I get some (who are) serious," he says, "and some people with
just a gleam in their eye, who have a fantasy but will never achieve
it."
Those who do pursue the dream can find the regulations daunting, he says.
"The county has become a much more complex creature to deal with,"
says Hart. "There are more regulations than there used to be. It's an
arduous process."
Peter Poole, owner of Mount Palomar Winery says the approval
process wasn't supposed to be that hard after the region got special
zoning.
"Ironically the (citrus/vineyard) zone was set up with the idea
that it would be easier to put a winery in, but it's actually made it
harder," Poole says. "There are a lot of hoops to jump through. It's
much tougher."
But once a grower makes it through those hoops, he says, making a winery successful is actually easier than it once was.
In 1978, Poole says, his late father, John, and an associate sat
on a hill above Rancho California Road and tallied the traffic volume.
"The average traffic was two cars an hour," he says. "Nowadays I
have to wait to get out of my driveway. Anybody who opens a winery and
puts a sign out is guaranteed to get people."
At the same time, he adds, customers expect more in terms of the
Temecula wine experience. Gone are the days of the roadside-stand
tasting room.
"Even Callaway opened with like a mobile home tasting room," Poole
says, referring to the winery that now has one of the valley's largest
facilities. "Now I think what's attracting people is not only the
quality of the wine but the restaurants and the gift shops, the places
to stay."
Hotels, spas, concert venues and high-end eateries have all become
part of the Temecula wine scene. And while all of that may have a
corporate feel to it, association director Kissam says virtually all of
the wineries in the valley are family owned and operated enterprises.
Few, however, have the numbers involved that the Wiens do. Of course, it helps when you have a wealth of resources.
Doug, 47, and his brother Jeff, 48, are the primary operators of the winery and are on site daily. Architect George Wiens,
52, designed the winery's production and guest facilities that are
currently under construction. Helping on the construction end is Dave Wiens, 50, who is a contractor.
Youngest brother Pete is a fermentation expert working at UC
Davis. Sandy Williams, a sister, lives in Kentucky but helps with the
winery's bookkeeping.
Despite all this talent, Doug says, "There's not a good salesperson in the bunch."
When harvest comes, the rest of the clan, including nieces and nephews, lend a hand.
There is rarely any squabbling, says Jeff.
"Maybe it's just the way we were raised," he says, but there is a
strong bond among the siblings. "It's an oddity these days."
They even vacation together once a year.
"For 12 years, we went house boating on Lake Oroville," Doug says.
"One year, we had two houseboats tied together and other boats off of
that."
Raised mostly in Southern California, the family later moved to
Colorado. Doug studied horticulture at Colorado State University and
fermented a few kitchen batches of wine back during his college years.
The itch for winemaking stuck with him through 20 years of working for
major food corporations such as Del Monte and Gallo Winery.
While Doug concentrates on growing the grapes and making the wine,
Jeff, a former electrical engineer, handles the day-to-day business
operations.
Like them, much of the family has gravitated back to the Inland
Empire, making it easier to support the venture. Both Dave and George
have nearby homes and property planted with vineyards that support the
winery. They grow a number of varietals, but the concentration is on
red wines.
"We did mostly reds (in Lodi) and we came down here with a lot of
medal winning reds," Doug says. Even though Temecula is known more for
its white wines, he adds, "Researching the climate, there's no reason
there couldn't be good reds here. We know we have to make white and
sweet wines because the market here is pretty young. But we want to be
known for our reds."
Whatever the winery becomes known for, Doug says he knows it will
be a cooperative effort. The small business he started would never have
flourished without it, he says.
"I got the whole family involved," he says, "and it turned into this huge thing."
He still has moments of amazement, particularly when it comes to the soon to be opened buildings at the winery.
"I've taken a tour of the place after everything is closed, and I
think how awesome it's going to be," he says. "Ten years ago, I was
making wine in my garage, so this is really cool."
Reach Mark Muckenfuss at 909-806-3059 or mmuckenfuss@PE.com
* * *
WINE COUNTRY
For information on Wiens Family Cellars and other Temecula Valley wineries, visit www.temeculawines.org
Art: PHOTOS
Caption: (1) Doug Wiens with crushed Pinot Noir grapes. Though Temecula is known more for its white wines, "we want to be known for our reds," Wien says. (2) White Port 2004, left, Primitivo 2003 and Cabernet Sauvignon Blush 2004 at Wiens Family Cellars winery in Temecula. (3) WILLIAM WILSON LEWIS III/THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE / Jeff Wiens, left, and brother Doug Wiens inspect chardonnay grapes soon to be harvested at their Temecula Valley winery.
Zone: ALL ZONES
Edition:
Section: YOUR LIFE
Page#: E01