Ahlgren

Founded in 1976 and still located in the cellar beneath the rustic mountain home of Dexter and Valerie Ahlgren, AHLGREN VINEYARD is dedicated to limited production of fine premium wines: Semillon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Nebbiolo, and Syrah. The Ahlgrens employ traditional, hands-on methods and premium grapes from carefully selected vineyards. Just how does a reasonably sane professional suburban couple get into the business of winemaking? It is a question asked at virtually every wine tasting ever given by the Ahlgrens. Leaning back against a stack of barrels in the small cool cellar beneath their home in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a visitor gazes into the glass, smells the lovely wine and cannot help but wonder. Laughing, Dexter's answer inevitably comes back, "It is all Val's fault." In the early 70's she became interested in fermentation, and right there under the kitchen table in the heart of Silicon Valley, things began to become transformed into ever more interesting beverages -- elderberries into elderberry wine, honey into sparkling mead, malt and hops into beer. Meanwhile, in the adjoining garage, other mysteries were exploding dangerously, and at times all entry was temporarily forbidden. When Val's wines became intriguingly tasty, Dexter became intrigued, and it turned out he was the gifted winemaker in the family. Possessing that precious mix of acute senses of taste and smell, and blessed with common sense, Dexter demonstrated an intuitive and intelligent awareness of how to handle grapes and wine. Soon the suburban garage had been emptied of its autos; converted into a winery-within-a-garage complete with insulation, cooling, and French barrels ready for the next grape harvest. Zinfandel, it was to be, and two tons arrived in the driveway there on Cascade Drive in Sunnyvale to be crushed, fermented, pressed and barrel aged under the wondering gaze of patient suburban neighbors. A true Silicon Valley Garage startup! Of course, things could not go on this way indefinitely, and the Ahlgrens began to contemplate the realities of the fact that, speaking of winemaking, things were definitely getting out of hand. There would have to be a move.

Santa Cruz Mountains, United States

20320 Highway 9,

831-338-6071