I Brand does not have a fancy tasting room decorated with artworks, nor does it have a famous winemaking consultant. For owner and winemaker Ian Brand, running a winery is simply about making delicious table wines that can be enjoyed every day and sending them out to the world. Making $300 wines using grapes from famous wine-producing regions is easy for anyone with the funds. Ian's goal is to brew wines with a strong sense of acidity and minerals in Monterey County, which is well established as a grape-producing region but still has many great (cheap) vineyards if you look for them. Ian started the winery with his wife Heather in 2007. The reason he chose Monterey as a wine-producing region is because he felt that Monterey wines, which feature oak aromas and a "sloppy" feel, had become mainstream at some point, and he felt that he had to make a move on this trend.
"What exactly has been the 'development' in California wine over the past 20 years? Technological advances, cloning research, VSP tailoring, winemaking equipment incorporating the latest technology. Have all of this really improved California wine? Rather, haven't they sucked the soul out of the wine and the winemakers? Has the passion and traditional art been lost?"
Believing that the technological advances in California cultivation and brewing have caused everything to degenerate, Ian is attempting to return to his roots in Monterey. Well-cultivated fields, grapes that grow there, and gentle brewing techniques and sensibilities that do not erase the individuality of each are the essence of the I. brand. In 2019, he was named Winemaker of the Year by the US national newspaper, San Francisco Chronicle, and became an instant star. However, for Ian, such an achievement and fame are just one step.