Purpose

Claire and Alan Ramey were born into wine, learning from their father, David Ramey, who influenced a new era of quality for California. Growing up with winemaking lessons at the dinner table and bolstering their knowledge with extensive education, research, and hands-on training, they began questioning what could come next for California wine.

Going forward meant looking back. Reading historical accounts of the 19th century winemaking pioneers of California, it became clear that at one point, growers and vintners had enthusiastically pursued unique wine blends and styles distinct from what they’d traditionally done in Europe, though labeling didn’t capture this creativity at the time.

Over centuries, the wine regions of Europe honed wines suited to their place, choosing varieties that grew well and often blended well together. Outside of Europe, regions became associated with particular varieties, or reinterpretations of common European blends, but no region has become famous for a novel type of blend of its own.

Curious to rectify this, a project presented itself. Sonoma County is distinct in its vast climatic and geologic variation, so Claire and Alan looked for sites that would lend themselves to a blend highlighting these unique conditions, sourcing grapes from purposefully chosen areas.

Curious Ground’s winemaking mission is to look at the entirety of Sonoma as a blank slate, pushing toward a framework style showcasing what Sonoma is capable of. Centuries from now, we hope that someone can pick up a glass of Sonoma and know exactly what it means.

As we envision Sonoma on a global stage, further possibilities arise. In 1924, Chateau Mouton Rothschild placed it’s first piece of art on a label, later making the selection process an annual tradition. For our inaugural 2024 release, we have decided to start a tradition of our own. Each vintage, we will select a charity to donate proceeds from Curious Ground. We’ve partnered with The Life You Can Save to thoroughly research and vet each charity, ensuring every bottle of wine purchased achieves measurable good. For our first vintage, we’ve selected Helen Keller International, which offers Vitamin A supplements to children globally, significantly reducing rates of blindness and death. For us, helping in the most impactful way is part of the answer to what true sustainability must be.