Our Story
We are not a huge operation, we are a husband and wife team who are passionate about wine. If you told us that someday we would take our wine passion and open a winery, we would have told you that you were crazy. But as with all of Frank’s hobbies, his theory has been “Go Big or Go Home”.
Our story began on our Back Patio with 75 pounds of Petite Sirah and 130 pounds of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. We didn’t have any special equipment that year and it took us nine hours to de-stem and crush the grapes by hand. When we were done, we had grape stained foot prints and puppy paw prints all over the back patio. For the next two years the wine sat quietly in our coat closet where samples were tasted from time to time. It would later become a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Petite Sirah, and a 50/50 blend called “Stained Patio”. All three wines won awards at multiple wine competitions, but more importantly was the personal satisfaction of making three great wines to enjoy with our family and friends on the back patio.
Before the first batch was bottled it was time get more grapes. Two hundred pounds turned in to 600 pounds then a year later turned into 1200 pounds and a hobby had turned into a passion. After making Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, we expanded into making Zinfandel, Syrah, and Chardonnay. After that we tried a Cab Franc, Tempranillo, and Pinot Noir.
Our passion for wine has always been strong, even in the hard years when everything seemed to go wrong. Some years found more disasters than success stories, but the lessons learned resulted in the foundation to where we are today. We make wine for ourselves, our friends, and our family. Our goal has always been simple, Quality First, if we don’t love it then how could we expect you too. We have tried different varietals, different styles, and different wine regions. Some things worked better than others, but in the end we had something special.
In 2012 we realized that our hobby was more than a passion and we started dreaming of the reality of having our own winery. With the help of many friends in the wine industry, we started our first vintage of commercial wine. We started in the vineyard with growers that shared our passion for quality. Great vineyards yield excellent grapes allowing us to make incredible wines. We finished by selecting a local winery that shared our passion for attention to detail. They provided us with custom crush services, but more importantly kept us on track when our excitement and ambitions got out of control.
Many people have asked us why we named our winery Back Patio Cellars. For many years, Friday and Saturday nights would be spent on our back patio drinking wine with our friends and family. Great wines, friendships, laughter and good food made for many enjoyable evenings. We believe wine always tastes better when you are with friends and family. We want to share that kind of relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere with you. Come join us on the Back Patio and raise a glass.
