INTERESTED IN WINEMAKING?
JOIN SONOMA HOME WINEMAKERS!
• Meet people with similar interests, attend meetings and special events, taste great wine and socialize.
• Help others make wine and learn from experienced grape growers and winemakers.
• Borrow, buy, or rent equipment. Get leads on grapes for sale and free.
• Access how-to presentations and mentors to learn winemaking best practices.
Next Meeting
March 12th
Lisa Bishop Forbes to speak on the
balance between winemaking art and science.
Sonoma Community Center, Room 110
Time: 6:30 Socializing, 7:00 Start
Balancing the art and science of winemaking, winemaker/consultant Lisa Bishop Forbes of Bishop Forbes Wines will speak on the topic of quality wine making offering production tips and techniques.
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Lisa Bishop Forbes is the founder and winemaker of Bishop Forbes Wines, a boutique label that showcases her site-driven approach and more than 20 years of experience crafting ultra-premium wines that consistently score 90 points and above. The Bishop Forbes portfolio is focused on balance, varietal integrity, and a clear expression of place,.
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Bishop Forbes’ experience includes Director of Winemaking at Chalk Hill Estate and Winemaker at Dry Creek Vineyard. She also managed winemaking and operations at Ektimo Vineyards and Ross Road Custom Crush. In addition to her own label, Lisa is the principal of Lisa Bishop Forbes Winemaking, a
consulting practice serving boutique, family-owned wineries. Her consulting work spans
vineyard sourcing, harvest logistics, fermentation management, blending strategy, and bottling,
with an emphasis on high quality and respect for her clients’ stylistic preferences.
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This event is free to attend, but registration is kindly requested via Eventbrite. Link will be posted shortly. 21+ only please due to wine tasting of our members’ wines during the event. I.D. required.
Please bring your own glass (twoif you’d like to do a side by side comparison).
Winemakers are encouraged to bring a bottle of their wine for tasting that night.
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Want to become a home winemaker? Start here. All welcomed.
Now accepting entries for the world's largest COMPETITION FOR HOBBY WINEMAKERS!
Enter your wine now and beat the rush. Your wine entry will be safely stored in a climate-controlled warehouse until April when you'll compete for medals in 50 categories. Gain international recognition for your winemaking skills and get valuable feedback on your wines from the competition's judging panel. For full competition entry information click here.​
Thank you Anne Moller-Racke!
On February 12, 2026, Anne Moller-Racke, founder of of The Donum Estate and Blue Farm spoke on the her work of introducing new rootstocks to California and making great Pino in Carneros and Russian River apelations.
In 1981, Anne arrived from Germany to Sonoma, where she worked with legendary winemaker André Tchelistchef.
For over three decades, Anne has been farming some of California’s most celebrated vineyards. In 2001, Anne founded The Donum Estate, and over those 18 years she grew Donum to one of the top Pinot Noir producers in California. She is one of the top Ampelographers ( identification and classification of grape vines ) on the planet. It includes Grand Cru style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from five vineyards and five AVAs within Sonoma County. Anne designed the vineyard to produce one complete wine, blended from four clones. Today, five Blue Farm vineyards reach from Sonoma’s Valley, to its Coast, as well as the Russian River. Blue Farm wines reveal exceptional discoveries from lands graced with natural gifts.
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Who we are ... and how you can participate
For over 40 years, Sonoma Home Winemakers (SHW) remains a group of enthusiastic home winemakers whose nonprofit charter is to promote the fine art of growing grapes, making great wine and to share information and tips among members. We're based in Sonoma, California and meet once a month, generally the second Thursday. (Please double check our events calendar for specific dates and location). We share ideas and information, evaluate and taste each other's wines, and host a speaker from the wine community -- all in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.
If you'd like to learn more about home winemaking - whether you're a complete beginner or have been making wine for years -- come to a meeting as our guest. Consider this your open invitation! And if you like what you see, dues are only $50 a year for you plus one. (21+, please.) Membership also gives you access to several private, "member only" events: behind the scenes tours of grape vine growers, barrel makers, vineyard operations and so much more -- all designed to better your understanding of wine making.
We grow our grapes in our private vineyards, backyards, acquire grapes from local sources, or just help out fellow members with their winemaking. (You're not required to make wine...but most do!) Varietals our members make range from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel and Pinot Noir to the distinctive Tanat, exclusive Ribolla Gialla, Sangiovese, Syrah, Primitivo, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, and Mourvedre.
Additionally, SHW farms and manages the Tex Juen vineyard located on Leveroni Road at the end of Fryer Creek Trail in Sonoma. This vineyard was established on land leased from the City of Sonoma for the education of our members and is fully maintained by our group. Members are welcomed to participate and experience hands-on viticulture during our frequent, weekend work days. No previous knowledge required, just eagerness to learn. Send us an email about our next work day!
Are you a member of our regional wine community with knowledge you'd like to share with our group? Please let us know! We would welcome your sharing tips and techniques with us ... we're all about learning, and enjoying great home made wine!
With our efforts, we believe we are continuing the great tradition of winemaking that started in the Sonoma Valley almost 160 years ago. What will be your wine story? Come to a meeting and start creating it. Welcome!
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Officers
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President: Bob Brindley
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Vice-President: Paul Pastorino
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Treasurer: Brian Middleton
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Secretary: Rebecca Kreeger
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Membership Chair: Faye Mellos
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Website: Gregory Levinson
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Members at Large: Doug Ghiselin and Peter Stanford.
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Welcome to the SHW!
Hello from the Sonoma Home Winemakers! I’m glad you are interested in learning about home winemaking and vineyard management. Information on our website can help you. Better yet, please join us at one of our monthly meetings.
The goal of our group is to help hobby winemakers learn to make wine and hopefully new friends along the way. Each month we offer you a speaker to teach us about the different aspects of making wine from pruning a vineyard, to harvesting grapes, to making wine that you can be proud to share with friends and family. Plus we have several social events throughout the year to help you make new friends with the same interests and to enjoy the bounty of our labors.
I have been a wine enthusiast and collector most of my life and more recently a home winemaker. It may run in the family since I have early memories of helping my grandfather tend to his vineyard in Upstate New York.
The Sonoma Home Winemakers are a valuable and helpful resource. We also have fun! There’s only so much you can learn in books and online. Being able to access the minds of professional vineyard managers and winemakers as well as other experienced hobby winemakers has been invaluable. Understanding how to grow better grapes and learning how the pros make their wine has armed me with the knowledge to make better wine in my own right. And best of all, we share some fantastic home wine at each of our gatherings!
If you’re interested in home winemaking or you’re already on your way, I encourage you to come to our next monthly meeting - no winemaking or vineyard xperience is necessary. Everyone is welcome! I hope to see you soon.
Cheers!
Bob Brindley, President
Sonoma Home Winemakers