OJAI VINEYARD

"Hidden gem of Santa Barbara" Artisan winery that makes the wine you want to make

Founder and winemaker Adam Tolmach graduated from UC Davis (University of California, Davis) majoring in wine agriculture in 1976. After graduating, he helped his family farm and sold vegetables on the street. rice field.

After that, he got a job at Zaca Mesa Winery, which has been around since the dawn of Santa Barbara wine, met Jim Klendenen, and launched Au Bon Climat , a representative of Santa Barbara wine.

After working with Jim for nine years, Adam went independent in 1983 and founded Ojai Vinyard. Since then, he sells his wine to people who support him, even on a small scale, and makes wine the way he wants to.

Wines may look the same in bottles, but they don't all taste the same. "It all has to do with intention," says Adam.

Wine is a quest for craftsmanship, a quest for excellence, a quest for uniqueness.

When it comes to commercialization, everyone tends to make a style that everyone likes, but in Ojai there is no need to make a wine that appeals to everyone. No need to satisfy wine critics. We just want the number of customers who like our wines to keep the winery going.

While pursuing the individuality that can only be produced in Santa Barbara, it is natural and masters the traditional Burgundy and Rhone wine styles. That is the policy of Adam's Ojai Winery.

Sashi Moorman , a shrewd wine consultant in Santa Barbara, was Ojai's first employee.