INTERESTED IN WINEMAKING?
JOIN SONOMA HOME WINEMAKERS!
• Meet people with similar interests, attend meetings and special events, taste great wine and socialize.
• Help others make wine and learn from experienced grape growers and winemakers.
• Borrow, buy, or rent equipment. Get leads on grapes for sale and free.
• Access how-to presentations and mentors to learn winemaking best practices.
Next Meeting
Thursday November 13, 2025
Sonoma Community Center, Room 110
Time: 6:30 Socializing, 7:00 Start
Sonoma Home Winemakers' welcomes Stephanie Moriarty of Torrellerie Ø will speak on barrels and Creative Oak alternatives and the pivotal role that our California made French and American oak barrels play in helping winemakers make the wine they intend. Creative Oak alternatives provide winemakers, distillers, and brew masters the freedom to flavor their products exactly how they envision.
This event is open to the public.
Just stop by if you are interested in the state of the wine business and/or home winemaking. 21+ only please as we will be tasting our member's wines during the event.
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Join Sonoma Home Winemakers!
Annual membership dues are $50. You have several payment options:​ You can pay at a member's meeting, Mail a check to Sonoma Home Winemakers, P.O. Box 590, Sonoma, CA 95476 or
go to Join Us page to pay using Zelle
What a Success!
Free Movie Night at the Sebastiani Theatre
celebrated 40 years of local home winemaking.
Sebastiani theater filled to capacity with many guests coming in well before the opening time and staying after the movie to continue the celebration.
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We all enjoyed the local pro winemaker / filmmaker Joe Daniel’s “Tiny Vineyards” - a fun, funny and accurate documentary that follows Sonoma Valley hobby wine makers through a wine making season. A true celebration of home wine makers and their obsession. The free event was presented by the SHW and co-sponsored by the Sebastiani Theatre and Tiny Vineyards Wine Co.
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Thanks to all the members who contributed cases of their best wines and poured for over two hours to all the guests - SHW winemakers included JW Nichols, Les Boschke, Peter Stanford & Doug Ghiselin. Joe Daniels generously shared some of his best as well.
Special thanks to SHW members who made this event such a success: Faye Mellos, Bob Brindley, Brian Middleton, Paul Pastorino, Rebecca Kreeger, Doug Ghiselin, Bob Flanagan, Barbara Carbone, Sophie Wong, Patricia Plowman, Leslie Hennessy, Karen Freese and Donah Kalens. (and thank you to volunteers Ronda Giangreco and Angelique Mack) - And a final SHW thanks to the outstanding filmmaker and winemaker Joe Daniel!
Now accepting entries for the world's largest COMPETITION FOR HOBBY WINEMAKERS!
Enter your wine now and beat the rush. Your wine entry will be safely stored in a climate-controlled warehouse until April when you'll compete for medals in 50 categories. Gain international recognition for your winemaking skills and get valuable feedback on your wines from the competition's judging panel. For full competition entry information click here.​
Sonoma Home Winemakers were on the Air once again!
On Wed., October 8th, SHW board members Bob Brindley and Peter Stanford were guests on KSVY's "Wine Around with Hennessy". ​
This was Sonoma Home Winemaker's third time on the very popular show, that airs from 1pm to 2pm -- KSVY 91.3 FM. Bob and Peter represent some of the most knowledgeable wine making members of our club. Leslie Hennessy is a winegrower, winemaker and owner of Gourmet Wines. He offers KSVY listeners his expertise in the vast world of wine delving into oenology, viticulture, and ampelography. Home wine making, too!
Thank you, Dennis McCarter
Award wining wine maker and SHW alum Dennis McCarter of McCarter Cellars regaled us with stories of lessons learned as a new winemaker -- the good, the bad, and the unexpected -- at our October 8th monthly meeting. We appreciate him returning to share his tips and techniques learned from trial and error, and being there in the moment ... but always trusting what he thought was right. His award winning wines speak for themselves. With our gratitude!​
Members-only event was a great success!!!
On August 18th, our members enjoyed great party at the home of always great and generous hosts Peter and Gayle Stanfords. Great Pizza, wonderfool appetizers, salads and deserts. Member's wine, Limoncello and Walnut liqueur. And the greatest party spirit ever!!!​
Would like to participate in our private events? Not a paid member? Great time to join!
Thank You Joel Petersen
Our September 2025 meeting attracted record number of members and guest.
Joel Petersen, AKA the Godfather of Zin, founder of Ravenswood Winery, now Once and future Wines and 2011 inductee into the Vintners Hall of Fame gave a memorable talk on The Rise and Resurgence of Zinfandel, Tips and Secrets of Wine Making. And he brought his wine for us to appreciate!
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Joel is a current member and former president of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance and also served on the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Vintners. A founding board member and former two-time president of ZAP, he is also an advisor to the Historic Vineyard Society. Joel was the lead winemaker and chairman of the Heritage Vineyard project, ​
Who we are ... and how you can participate
For over 40 years, Sonoma Home Winemakers (SHW) remains a group of enthusiastic home winemakers whose nonprofit charter is to promote the fine art of growing grapes, making great wine and to share information and tips among members. We're based in Sonoma, California and meet once a month, generally the second Thursday. (Please double check our events calendar for specific dates and location). We share ideas and information, evaluate and taste each other's wines, and host a speaker from the wine community -- all in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.
If you'd like to learn more about home winemaking - whether you're a complete beginner or have been making wine for years -- come to a meeting as our guest. Consider this your open invitation! And if you like what you see, dues are only $50 a year for you plus one. (21+, please.) Membership also gives you access to several private, "member only" events: behind the scenes tours of grape vine growers, barrel makers, vineyard operations and so much more -- all designed to better your understanding of wine making.
We grow our grapes in our private vineyards, backyards, acquire grapes from local sources, or just help out fellow members with their winemaking. (You're not required to make wine...but most do!) Varietals our members make range from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel and Pinot Noir to the distinctive Tanat, Sangiovese, Syrah, Primitivo, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, and Mourvedre.
Additionally, SHW farms and manages the Tex Juen vineyard located on Leveroni Road at the end of Fryer Creek Trail in Sonoma. This vineyard was established on land leased from the City of Sonoma for the education of our members and is fully maintained by our group. Members are welcomed to participate and experience hands-on viticulture during our frequent, weekend work days. No previous knowledge required, just eagerness to learn. Send us an email about our next work day!
Are you a member of our regional wine community with knowledge you'd like to share with our group? Please let us know! We would welcome your sharing tips and techniques with us ... we're all about learning, and enjoying great home made wine!
With our efforts, we believe we are continuing the great tradition of winemaking that started in the Sonoma Valley almost 160 years ago. What will be your wine story? Come to a meeting and start creating it. Welcome!
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Officers
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President: Bob Brindley
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Vice-President: Paul Pastorino
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Treasurer: Brian Middleton
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Secretary: Rebecca Kreeger
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Membership Chair: Faye Mellos
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Website: Gregory Levinson
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Members at Large: Doug Ghiselin and Peter Stanford.
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Welcome to the SHW!
Hello from the Sonoma Home Winemakers! I’m glad you are interested in learning about home winemaking and vineyard management. Information on our website can help you. Better yet, please join us at one of our monthly meetings.
The goal of our group is to help hobby winemakers learn to make wine and hopefully new friends along the way. Each month we offer you a speaker to teach us about the different aspects of making wine from pruning a vineyard, to harvesting grapes, to making wine that you can be proud to share with friends and family. Plus we have several social events throughout the year to help you make new friends with the same interests and to enjoy the bounty of our labors.
I have been a wine enthusiast and collector most of my life and more recently a home winemaker. It may run in the family since I have early memories of helping my grandfather tend to his vineyard in Upstate New York.
The Sonoma Home Winemakers are a valuable and helpful resource. We also have fun! There’s only so much you can learn in books and online. Being able to access the minds of professional vineyard managers and winemakers as well as other experienced hobby winemakers has been invaluable. Understanding how to grow better grapes and learning how the pros make their wine has armed me with the knowledge to make better wine in my own right. And best of all, we share some fantastic home wine at each of our gatherings!
If you’re interested in home winemaking or you’re already on your way, I encourage you to come to our next monthly meeting - no winemaking or vineyard xperience is necessary. Everyone is welcome! I hope to see you soon.
Cheers!
Bob Brindley, President
Sonoma Home Winemakers