2022 Spring Newsletter

What's New at Stolo

Welcome to a bright new year! Hopefully, it brings fresher health and the flexibility for all to travel and explore again.  With that in mind we’ve chosen to share our entire 2022 calendar with you this year, in the hope it assists you with planning the best time to come visit us at the winery in Cambria (calendar). To ensure you have the best possible visit we will continue asking for reservations in advance of your visit. Members always have first priority and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate your schedule.

In The Winery

First and foremost in 2021 we welcomed Rajat (Raj) Parr to lead our team both in the vineyard and in the winery. Many of you know him for his love of this appellation and the natural cool climate wines produced here. Raj is a natural educator and loves sharing what he’s learned along his varied journey. If you’d like to get to know him better Raj has penned two books on wine and he’s often in the winery or vineyard with other guests from around the world. He’ll also be attending some of our member events this season.

In the Vineyard

2022 will be our 14th vintage growing all estate wines and producing each in a bright and fresh style that is an honest expression of this little corner of the world we lovingly have the privilege to care for. As part of a natural stewardship of the ranch and vineyard, which has been farmed organically since the first planting in 1998, we continue to embrace true “regenerative farming” practices. If you’re not familiar, beyond organic farming, regenerative farming is more than “do no harm” to the land, it actually improves soil health, which in turn produces healthier, brighter, and more interesting wines.

This approach most importantly improves the land for generations to come. For instance, our Vineyard Team, under Raj's guidance, is beginning a soil nutrient enhancement program using local natural elements for our composting program and home brewed natural “tea” fertilizers. In 2022 you’ll also begin seeing our vineyard team grow to include a flock of sheep in the vineyard. Their role is threefold; up front they control the cover crop while leaving behind a natural fertilizer everywhere they graze, as well as, helping us to reduce soil compaction by replacing some tractor activities in the vineyards.

All this additional effort helps us produce healthier unique wines. We believe ultimately it will also lead to a more productive vineyard, a healthier community, and stronger local economy for all to benefit by.

We're now Delivering to 43 States!

One of the most challenging aspects for small producers of craft wines is not having enough resources to manage the complex/confusing compliance and tax filings required by each state we want to ship to. No two states require the same form of documentation and reporting schedules. We explored and tried several options to assist us with this, all with limited success.

Nothing is more disappointing than having a new guest fall in love with our wines only to learn they can get them at home. So, in mid 2021 we tested and subsequently committed to a comprehensive platform (Vinoshipper) that eliminated our headaches by taking on 100% of our out of state reporting and compliance. In addition to the 10 states we previously shipped to, we can now deliver wine to you in 43 different states. Sorry Utah, South Dekota, Alabama, Mississippi, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut you might want to send your state representative a message. For the rest of us please use this link to create and manage your out of state account with us.

Also as a nice bonus, Vinoshipper is now part of UPS’s Carbon Neutral and Carbon Offset program. UPS’s carbon neutral program supports projects that offset the climate impact of each of the packages shipped through the Stolo’s Vinoshipper program. In 2021, Vinoshipper helped mitigate over 1,200 metric tons of CO2e.