Tipsy Rose Wines

About Tipsy Rose Wines

Tipsy Rose Wines began with one barrel of Grenache in 2016. When I retired as an English Professor in 2012 and committed to running my retail wine shop as a profession, I accepted an invitation to do the harvest in France with Jerome Bressy at Gourt de Mautens in Rasteau. I wanted to learn more. Out of a curiosity and eagerness to better understand the product I represented, I decided to participate in a harvest here in the US, in Napa. It was my good fortune to be allowed to make a barrel of my own wine while I did that. Out of this single barrel, my brand was born. Now 9 years later, I am up to roughly a 1000 case production and I want to grow while maintaining my artisanal approach–hand crafted, sustainable, ethical and delicious.

I focus on Rhone varietals, practice minimal intervention, work closely with the growers that I source from, and avoid additives and chemicals in the field and the winery. My winemaking philosophy is to buy great fruit and to allow it to become the best wine possible naturally. I practice native yeast fermentation that are generally at 60-70 degrees, slow wine means more complex and nuanced flavors. I avoid additives, though I add minimal SO2 to keep the wine safe and stable. I filter at bottling because I want the wines to be clean and polished, but I avoid absolute filters that strip the wine of character.

I make wines that are honest expressions of the terroir of Northern California, but I do so with an old world philosophy that respects the environment. Tipsy Rose wines are food driven wines with a balance of fruit, structure, and acidity.