06/06/2026
Fifteen years ago, I bought a vineyard with an old farmhouse, a dream, and one significant limitation: I didn't know how to drive a tractor!
Today, I'm honored to be featured on the cover of American Vineyard magazine, with a three-page story about my farming and w**emaking journey. My Coplan Vineyards’ w**e project began with farming. I am fascinated by the vineyard itself, the soil, cycles, process, ecosystem, and the belief that great w**e begins in the vineyard.
I’m proud that we’re in the minority of w**e producers who make w**e from fruit we grow ourselves.
The cover photograph was taken during one of those magical vineyard moments. At sunrise this spring, photographer Deborah Jones and I ran to the top of the Chardonnay vineyard with Skipper, rolling through the vines, when three hot air balloons drifted overhead as if they had arrived for the photo shoot.
For someone who has read American Vineyard magazine since purchasing this property in 2011, seeing Coplan Vineyards on the cover is a little surreal and deeply gratifying.
I've shared more of the story in my journal article below, including why I believe farming is the most important and too often overlooked part of the w**e value chain.
And I firmly believe the best chapters of this story are still ahead!
https://coplanvineyards.w**e/journal/blog-post-title-one-j38fb-yzpt9
