My Story
My dad was the owner of Reverie Winery on Diamond Mountain in Calistoga from 1993 until 2016. I knew nothing about wine until the year 2000. My mom had breast cancer and my dad asked me to do the sales. Our wine club had just 25 people at the time.
When I arrived we had to practice taking a cork off a bottle of wine as I didn’t know how. I used to push the cork down on my dates when I had bottles twice per year.
Our winery soon became known as the winery to visit for people who wanted to have fun at a winery. Our visitation increased and we quickly sold through vintages. The hotel next to us offered my dad Norman Kiken an offer he couldn’t refuse. So he sold the winery and now mainly travels.
When we sold we had 4,000 plus people in our wine club. But we found that there’s nothing better about a bigger winery. The process of winemaking is the same as at a small winery, except they have bigger tanks and more of them. The main difference is that the big wineries are often crowded and impersonal.
At the wineries I will take you to, we will often be the only visitors. You will meet owners, talk to winemakers, and have a relaxed, enjoyable, unforgettable day.
My philosophy is based on a natural beautiful setting not building the fanciest tasting room.
I look for fair pricing in tasting fees and wine pricing. Just because you can charge a $100 doesn’t make it right or good.
I do find it exciting going to high end wineries that are pursuing perfection for the clients who want that.
They are fun to try and challenging to get into. Some are impossible, but I can get into most.
But for most clients, the sweet spot is great wineries that are priced in the $40 to $80 range. My obsession with small wineries is to help people have a personal, up-close experience with the wines and the people who make them.