When Megan Sekermestrovich discovered that natural wine did not trigger her migraines, curiosity took over. A week at a biodynamic vineyard in Sonoma County led to an invitation to make wine at the Richmond Wine Collective, and in 2019 her label Lula was born, named after her favourite fashion magazine.
Backstory
Sekermestrovich works full-time as a fashion designer at Levi Strauss and Co in Oakland, California. She met Noel Diaz of Purity Wine at a tasting and left with an invitation to make something of her own. Her husband David Keller joined as winemaking partner and photographer. Lula debuted at Bay Area natural wine fairs in 2019 with State Flower, a carbonic Valdiguié. Production has remained deliberately tiny, around 60 cases per year, allowing Sekermestrovich full control over every decision from grape sourcing to bottling.
The Region
Lula is based at the Richmond Wine Collective in Richmond, California, a cooperative production facility east of San Francisco Bay that houses several small natural wine producers. Sekermestrovich sources fruit from vineyards across California, working exclusively with sustainable growers who pay living wages to their workers.
Vineyards and Farming
Lula does not own vineyards. Sekermestrovich selects growers based on farming ethics and labour standards as much as terroir. Varieties used have included Valdiguié, Carignan, and Chardonnay from sites in the Bay Area foothills and Sierra Foothills.
Winemaking
All Lula wines are zero-zero: native yeast fermentation, no fining, no filtration, and no additions. Sekermestrovich applies a fashion designer's instinct for colour, texture, and collaboration to her blending decisions. Techniques vary by wine: carbonic maceration for some reds, co-fermentation of white and red fruit for her pink Chardonnay, and in one memorable case, a wine built from smoke-tainted grapes salvaged from the 2021 Sierra Foothills fires.
The Wines
Releases are small-batch and irregular. The State Flower series labels honour states where Sekermestrovich has lived. Other wines include a High Meadow Carignan, a pink Chardonnay made by pressing over red fruit, and This Wine Is Fire from the 2021 vintage. Each bottle carries hand-made label artwork that reflects the personal nature of the project.
