The education committee has requested a change of date for the LWGA September general meeting to Sunday, September 15 to be held behind Wine Thieves in Lafayette at 3 PM.
There will be a presentation on insights from a wine-makers perspective on the harvest as well as challenges and insights from a vineyard management perspective.
Please bring a bottle of wine and an appetizer to share.
We are approaching the time that we will hopefully announce both a soft opening and a grand opening for Local Vines, our tasting room featuring commercially available Lamorinda AVA wines. We anticipate that construction of the Tasting Room, Winery and apartments will be completed the end of July. We hope that Germinate Kitchen, a separate, yet connected, commercial kitchen will be complete by the end of 2024. The one obstacle yet to be overcome is PG&E. We still do not have a completion date for their work – the subsurface transformer needed to power the entire building. Until the transformer, or a suitable interim solution, is in place, we cannot get the final approvals to open.
For those who plan on offering their wine for tasting and sale, you will need the following: 1) an O-2 or duplicate O-2 license at 3393 Mt. Diablo Blvd.; 2) a signed Joint Tasting Room Agreement; and 3) evidence of both your TTB Basic Permit and ABC license. Several local wineries already have submitted all or parts of these requirements. You should plan that the O-2 licensing process takes up to six months and duplicate O-2 licenses up to four months to complete! Please contact Larry Thal or Bill English if you wish assistance or more information.
The schedule below is tentative; however, may provide some useful timelines:
First meeting of the Local Vines Wine Board –July/August 2024 If you intend on selling wine at Local Vines, please submit two bottles of each varietal and vintage you wish to sell for approval by an independent wine Board consisting of wine experts, and Sommeliers, whose expertise we are relying on to ensure that the wines presented at Local Vines serve to enhance the image and reputation of our AVA. Each wine offered at Local Vines must reflect well on our AVA. Please provide these to Larry Thal by the end of June.
Marketing – August/September 2024 We will start a promotional campaign during these months to introduce the public to Local Vines, our AVA, and our local vineyards and winemakers.
Soft Opening – September 2024 This will be our first event for LWGA members, family and friends.
Grand Opening – October 2024 While the first of these events is anticipated for the month of October, this will be the first of several openings, each aimed at a different demographic, to introduce Local Vines.
My name is Dave Rey and I am a candidate for the LWGA Board. I have been a Lafayette resident for over 32 years and I have an acre of vines and a winery at my home in the Reliez Valley area. I bottle my wines under the Reliez Valley Vineyards label.
My goal as a winegrower is to grow the best possible grapes from my vineyard location and make the best possible wine from the grapes I grow. I am the first generation in my family to have pursued a non-agricultural career, so having grown up in that world I am very comfortable with the farming aspects of winegrowing. I have an engineering education and I enjoy applying all the technology available to both viticulture and winemaking.
I was an early member of the group but my business travels left me little time to get involved until I retired in 2011. I previously served on the Board from 2011 to 2016. During that time I focused mainly on leading the committee that pursued and secured our AVA designation.
I was elected to the Board again in 2020 and I am currently leading the effort to develop a five year plan for the organization. I would like to serve another term on the Board so that I can complete that project and help see the plan implemented.
My name is Bill Scanlin and I have been on the LWGA board and run the website since 2008, have been President in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and have been Treasurer Since 2020. I have been growing grapes and making wine since 1998 and started my commercial winery Deer Hill Vineyards in 2010.
I have been in technology my entire career and am currently Chief Technology Officer at a fintech startup.
I believe the organization needs to be an important resource for its members to help them grow better grapes and make better wine. We can also educate the Lamorinda community on what we are doing and help them setup their own vineyards and try some of the great wine made here. I think we have made great improvements in meeting these goals and would like to continue to move the organization forward
I’m Amy Schofield and have served on the LWGA Board for the past four years. In that time I have focused on the LWGA’s communications and interactions with the wider community including the AVA celebrations and social media, and with the membership through the newsletter and surveys. I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the LWGA.
Outside of my involvement in LWGA, I am opening Germinate Kitchen alongside Local Vines. I still prefer red over white, full bodied over light, and milk over dark.
My name is Bill Saupe, and I’d like your vote to be on the Board of the Association. I qualify myself like a bottle of wine—the more I get older, the more it tastes sweet (internet quote).
I’ve been a wine lover all my life, but I’m new to wine growing. I planted 132 Cabernet Sauvignon wines in 2021 during the pandemic, and have faithfully nurtured, communed with, and battled gophers and birds for the grapes ever since. I’m not sure its savour-ready yet, but it sure has been fun and a great learning experience.
I recently joined the LWGA Education Committee, and will be helping plan speakers for all levels of learning and interests. On the Board, I want to promote the quality, presence, reputation, and camaraderie of the group.
When I am not working on being an enthusiastic vigneron, I am working in Berkeley in my Prosthodontic practice. I went to dental school at Northwestern University in Chicago, Prosthodontic training at UCSF, and got my MBA at UOP.
Thank you for your consideration with a toast to all for 2024—may we always have old wine, old friends, and young cares.
Hi! I am Marcy Ryan Nichol and am a long-time Orinda resident. My interest in wine started when I was a student at CAL working at the Vintage House, a restaurant in Orinda with a wine theme (some of you long time Lamorinda residents may recall the restaurant).
I have 200 Zinfandel vines which were planted in 2013. I thank my grandmother who provided the seed money and who enjoyed a glass of wine every day until she died at 100. Bill Scanlin is my winemaker ( I consider myself fortunate!).
I manage the vineyard myself, and find the many hours in the vineyard to be therapeutic, incredibly rewarding, and much like life – unpredictable. I recognize how much I don’t know and have found LWGA invaluable in my learning trajectory. I am eager to learn and equally important – want to contribute and give back, hence my interest in serving on the board. I recently joined the Education committee, and I am excited about the direction LWGA is headed.
In my other life, I have extensive experience in Human Resources/Employee Relations in the airline, retail and banking industries. I am currently with SVB/FCB, a financial institution.
I appreciate your consideration for this position!
On Sunday May 7 2023 from 1 to 5 our bonded wineries will be holding their second annual bonded members wine tasting event. Dave Ray has again offered to hold the event behind his property located behind the Wine Thieves building on Mt Diablo Blvd. We are inviting all bonded winery members of LWGA to participate. This event was a great success last year and we expect an even bigger one this year. Please mark the date on your events calendar round up your friends and relations and attend?
This year the board is reaching out to the general membership asking you to please help us put on this event? We are asking for at least 10 of our members to volunteer to help that day? We will be breaking the day into morning and afternoon shifts. The morning shift will arrive by 10 AM and help out till 1 PM to assist in setting up tents, tables, signs, ticket taking, and other stuff as needed. We would like the afternoon shift to arrive by 4 PM to assist in helping take down, pick up, and general clean up for the event. Last year we finished up by 6:30 PM.
I look forward to hearing from you ASAP so please contact me at the ph # below or at dh1780@yahoo.com?
Soon after we have the membership meeting at Bill Scanlin’s house next Sunday at 3pm, he will be emailing ballots to current members for them to vote on our board candidates running for a two year term. Below are the bios of the candidates for you to review.
David Hicks
I’ve grown wine grapes for 19 years and made wine for 16 years and one of my objectives is to share whatever knowledge I can with Lamroinda grape growers and winemakers. Starting in 2003 I took the entire vit and eno extension program at UC Davis and while planting my vineyard and building my winery at my second home on the shore of Clear Lake in the Red Hills AVA. I am also a 45 year resident of Lafayette starting in HappyValley in 1978 and now in a cozy condo. Before entering the wild and crazy grape growing and home wine making world I founded and ran a Software Consulting business for 40 years which is now owned and managed by my second son.
Beginning in 2010 I began acquiring additional grapes from professional growers in Lake County. I’ve made 8 red varieties, 3 white varieties, Port with homemade Brandy, and a late harvest Sauternes style desert wine. I have also made award wining Chard from Moraga grapes. Great wine always starts with great grapes. I do the vineyard and winemaking work myself but do hire others for the heavy lifting as well as get consulting from the local UC Davis rep. My wines have won many Best of Show, numerous Golds, and other awards in home wine comps.
After three years on the board I was asked by the board to run for President. In January 2022 I was elected for a term of two years. The major highlight of 2022 was the May1st Pro wine tasting event held behind Wine Thieves. It was a huge success made possible by tireless work of key board members and Pro Winery owners and winemakers. An additional highlight was the recent Holiday and Christmas party held on Dec 4. Again a big success made possible by that same group of board members. We all know who they are and Kudos to them!
The one area where I and others feel we need to improve is to provide more concrete education and field training sessions on the subject of vineyard care and grape growing. Stay tuned and you will find postings in January on the web site re: these subjects along of our full meeting schedule for the year.
This Spring we will be seeing the opening of the Local Vines winery in Lafayette. This business will provide the whole of the Lamorinda and CCC community with a retail outlet and a pubic showcase for tasting and purchase of wines from selected bonded Lamorinda wineries. One of my objectives for 2023 is to work with Local Vines to see how they and the Lamorinda Wine Grape Growers Association can work together for the mutual advantage of both organizations.
Thank you for reading my statement and I would very much appreciate your vote for re-election to the board and to finish my last year as President.
David Hicks, Current Board Member and President
Daniel Howsepian
You may have noticed that our membership has grown over the past couple of years despite all the challenges we faced. So have our harvest numbers! So has the quality of our winemaking! This is especially good to see because the board has made a concerted effort to improve our organization by providing welcoming social activities as well as educational opportunities for those that wish to improve their grape growing, vineyard management and/or wine making. We have in the near future a very exciting grand opening of a real home for the LWGA. A place where home wine makers and bonded wine makers can share and shine together. I am excited to participate in this potential for all of our members. I am proud to be a part of this board and I would welcome the opportunity to continue for another term on the LWGA board, and see how we can continue to improve the value of a LWGA membership. Thank you for your consideration.
Daniel Howsepian, Current Board Member and Past-President
Tom Morehouse
My name is Tom Morehouse. I have been a member of LWGA since it was formed and I am a founding member of the club. I have 200 vines consisting of Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache producing a Rhone blend often called GSM. I manage the vineyard and produce my own wine, winning awards both in Contra costa county and at the Golden State wine Society. I gave wine tastings in Graduate school in Gilroy to pay for college. I have an MBA from San Jose State University. I lived in Europe for 6 years and studied European vineyard and wine making there while working for an American shipping company. I am a member of the Golden Gate Wine Club and a past board member of both LWGA I am now retired and have time to get more involved with our club. I was a member of the AVA committee with David Rey and helped with many of the tasks finally producing an AVA for us and the area. I am interested in getting the club more involved with the area we live in, educating our neighbors and helping to get our name and wines more well known to the community.
I think that we accomplished many things in the last three years. Our first paid tasting was a succcess and the various community events were a success in getting us known in the area.I would like to move forward on the board again and help with the new tasting room and custom crush that is emerging in 2023. We are better known than at any time in our history and I will continue to help in getting us to the next stage where more people enjoy our association and want to be part of our future . I appreciate your vote.
Tom Morehouse, Current Board Member
Leanne Pilot
My name is Leanne Pilot and I am a candidate for the LWGA Board. I have been an Orinda resident for 6 years, living and working in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood where we grow approximately 4300 vines of Grenache, Syrah, Chardonnay and a bit of Roussanne. Our wines are bottled under the Crane Terrace Winery label.
Prior to managing the property at Crane Terrace I spent twenty years working for both PeopleSoft and Oracle in education, training and pre-sales consulting.
In the past year I’ve enjoyed spending time in the community educating through wine tastings and other events, sharing information about the Lamorinda AVA, the Lamorinda Wine Growers Association, and the excellent wines being grown locally. It’s been very rewarding to see people gaining an awareness about what’s available locally and getting excited about our local wines and the region.
I would like to serve on the board in order to continue to share what we are doing, share our wines and assist in executing current LWGA growth plans in any way I can.
Leanne Pilot, Member and Candidate for Board of Directors
Larry Thal
I am currently serving as LWGA Secretary. I have considerable board experience and look forward to continuing to serve the Lamorinda Winegrowers’ Association and its members, if elected to do so. My wife, Esther, and I planted approximately 2,300 vines in 2010 and had our eleventh harvest this past year. Our varietals consist of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. Thal Vineyards, LLC is bonded with an O-2 license.
I am retired, having done so for the third time (United States Air Force, private practice of optometry and Clinical Professor and Assistant Dean University of California). Some of my other board experience includes serving as President of the California State Board of Optometry on five occasions and serving two years as President of the California Optometric Association. I have completed two terms on the board of an independent private school in the East Bay, and for over 20 years I have served as president of two homeowners’ associations.
I am a strong supporter of our AVA and the quality wines we produce. Esther and I are renovating a downtown Lafayette building as a winery and tasting room which we hope will actively promote local wine and offer a venue to introduce our wines to the public. It can also serve as a focal point for viticulture education and LWGA activity.
Larry Thal, Current Board Member and Secretary
Leslie Ward
Relationship to LWGA: One of the founding members of the LWGA (2005). Past posts with LWGA include President of the Board (2014); Board Member (2013 – 2022); Board Member of the Orinda Chamber of Commerce (2016 – 2022) as Secretary and Liaison for the LWGA.
Vineyard: Los Arabis Pinot Noir (1500 vines in Lafayette) planted in 1999. Currently our wine (250+/- ) cases are produced at Urban Legends, Alameda Naval Air Station. We sell to local restaurants and retail in Lamorinda. Much of our wine is donated to local schools, church and hospital fundraising programs, and other charities and non-profits.
Personal: Our Construction firm, Sausal Corporation, Concord, CA, builds schools, fire stations and public buildings throughout northern California. Our Son Josh, Orinda resident, now runs the company. I am a graduate of Cal Poly, SLO, in LA&ED.
Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan invites you to a closed event on October 17, 10:30am to noon. She is hosting a panel discussion about sustainable winemaking and winegrowing at Retzlaff Winery in Livermore.
You will hear about
· government programs and grants that can support your efforts to adopt more sustainable practices,
· current state of water and the future of water in California,
· and from winegrowers and winemakers who have made the transition to an organic vineyard and sustainable winemaking, respectively.
Formal invitation emails with additional details are forthcoming. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards,
Marilyn Cachola Lucey, M.A., Deputy District Director (pronouns: she/her/hers)
California State Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (AD-16)
Please note new District Office address and phone number:
12677 Alcosta Boulevard, Suite 395, San Ramon, CA 94583 (925) 244-1600 FAX: (925) 244-1606
My name is Dave Rey and I am a candidate for the LWGA Board. I have been a Lafayette resident for over 30 years and I have an acre of vines and a winery at my home in the Reliez Valley area. I bottle my wines under the Reliez Valley Vineyards label.
My goal as a winegrower is to grow the best possible grapes from my vineyard location and make the best possible wine from the grapes I grow. I am the first generation in my family to have pursued a non-agricultural career, so having grown up in that world I am very comfortable with the farming aspects of winegrowing. I have an engineering education and I enjoy applying all the technology available to both viticulture and winemaking.
I was an early member of the group but my business travels left me little time to get involved until I retired in 2011. I previously served on the Board from 2011 to 2016. During that time I focused mainly on leading the committee that pursued and secured our AVA designation.
I was elected to the Board again in 2020 and I am currently leading the effort to develop a five year plan for the organization. I would like to serve another term on the Board so that I can complete that project and help see the plan implemented.
My name is Bill Scanlin and I have been on the LWGA board and run the website since 2008, have been President in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and have been Treasurer 2020 and 2021. I have been growing grapes and making wine since 1998 and started my commercial winery Deer Hill Vineyards in 2010.
I have been in technology my entire career and am currently Chief Technology Officer at a fintech startup.
I believe the organization needs to be an important resource for its members to help them grow better grapes and make better wine. We can also educate the Lamorinda community on what we are doing and help them setup their own vineyards and try some of the great wine made here. I think we have made great improvements in meeting these goals and would like to continue to move the organization forward.
I’m Amy and have served on the LWGA Board for the past two years. In that time I have focused on the LWGA’s communications and interactions with the wider community including the Pandemic wines tastings and social media, and with the membership through the newsletter, surveys and the upcoming AVA celebration event. I look forward to the opportunity to continue this work.
Outside of my involvement in LWGA, I am opening Germinate Kitchen, a new shared commercial kitchen space in Lafayette. I still prefer red over white, full bodied over light, and milk over dark.
I’m Gerard van Steyn and I live in Lafayette with my wife Kathryn and our 3 children. We have 600 vines (70% Cabernet and remainder Malbec, Petite Verdot, Merlot and Cab Franc). We also have 60 fruit trees, 45 berry bushes, a large vegetable garden, honeybees, 6 chickens 1 dog and 2 cats. We are farming everything ourselves and have progressed from being organic to now beyond organic which means that in addition to using no chemicals we are focused on maximum soil health and the soil microbiome, including composting.
I have been on the Board for the last four years and have taken a lead role in changing from 4 meetings per year to 6 per year and in setting up educational content for our meetings. There are interesting and exciting plans being developed for further improving your Lamorinda Winegrowers Association, and our local wines and vineyards. I hope to continue to be a positive contributor to our members and to the Association.
My name is Brian Cherry and I live in Orinda with my wife Sara and son Alex. I’ve been making Pinot Noir for the last ten years from my 300 vines in the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood. While my vineyard is not certified organic, I eschew the use of chemical fertilizers and weed killers and try for a sense of terrior in my wines. Next month I will plant another 80 Cabernet Sauvignon vines (Clone 8, 140 rootstock) to continue my work on someday making a great Lamorinda wine. I still have a lot to learn. I’ve previously served on several non profit boards including the Oakland Museum, the San Francisco Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization and the Institute for Public Utilities at Michigan State University. I look forward to serving on the Board of the LWGA and making our appellation known beyond the borders of Lamorinda itself.
Via my vineyard management business, I have a new client who we just planted a new vineyard this past year. It will be a couple years before they actually get fruit that they could use to make wine in their vineyard but they’ve asked me to help them this year get started in the winemaking process. I am checking to see If any member has grapes or can direct me to some grapes that we can pick and I can use with this client to get them start in the winemaking process please let me know
Thank you to all of those that voted in the board election.
I wanted to share the results with you. All six board members that ran will will be serving on the board for the next two years. Below are the vote counts by candidate:
Wine Spectator News