“Fasten your seatbelts.” These are the words I directed at the winemaking team ten days ago. On August 8th we started the 2026 harvest with four and a half tons of Tempranillo from the Miravet Vineyard in the Clements Hills District in Lodi. This is the earliest we have crushed... Read More

Today is the first day of summer. Which means we are about 60 days away from the beginning of the 2026 harvest. My first commercial harvest was in the fall of 1977 at the Paul Masson Sherry Cellars in Madera. That means that 2026 will be my fiftieth harvest. It... Read More

It is almost May and the temperature in the house this morning is chilly. I just built and lit a fire in our fireplace. In February, we had a ninety-degree day that had me worrying about just how hot it might get this summer. The vines sensed the early season... Read More

Spring has arrived, and with it, a refreshing new season of exceptional wines! To celebrate, we’re excited to offer an exclusive spring shipping special. When you purchase any assortment of six bottles or more, we will ship it to you for only $1. This offer includes any wine on our... Read More

Three weeks ago, I was plucking spent blossoms from the daffodils planted in the half barrels on the south side of the tasting room. The first flower appeared before the end of 2025 and it seemed like we were in full bloom by late January. My goal in planting the... Read More

We are putting the finishing touches on the 2025 harvest. Oh Really? Aren’t you done yet? Nope! We don’t consider the harvest over until the last of the wines have completed the malo-lactic fermentation. This is a second fermentation that usually takes place after the alcoholic fermentation in which malic... Read More

We crushed the last of the 2025 grapes on Tuesday. The “caboose” was the Graciano and Grenache from Steve Carter’s Three Way Vineyard in Paso Robles. Like last year, we crushed twenty-seven different varieties from twenty-seven different growers. We started on August 22nd and were at it for sixty days,... Read More

As the shadows grow long and the vineyards turn a colorful blend of red and gold, we welcome the excitement of harvest season at Jeff Runquist Wines! The vineyards and crush pad are bustling with activity as “R” team is hard at work processing grapes to make your favorite wines.... Read More