Gearhead Wines began with a single evening in an open-top fermenter, the night Craig West stepped in to tread grapes and decided on the spot that winemaking was his calling.
Backstory
Gearhead Wines was founded by Craig West, originally from Orange County, California. He grew up exploring open fields and harvesting oranges, avocados, blackberries, pomegranates, walnuts and more, an early bond with the land that made the move into wine feel natural. Before wine he worked as a fisherman and as a baker for Acme Bread, until he met Noel Diaz of Purity Wines in Richmond, California. Noel's invitation to tread grapes one evening lit the spark, and Craig made his first vintage that same year in his garage while keeping his day jobs.
The Region
Working out of the San Francisco Bay Area, Craig sources organically farmed fruit from across California, hunting high and low for the right grapes to buy.
Winemaking
He makes tiny lots, all foot-tread, many built on carbonic maceration, and all with no added sulfur. The wines are joyful experiments, as natural as they come yet always clean and eminently drinkable.
The Wines
Cheekily named bottlings such as the Greatful Viognier pet-nat and the Princess series of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier-Chardonnay and carbonic reds show off Craig's scrappy, playful spirit and his knack for wildly affordable wines.
