Josh began his career in the wine industry by utilizing his biology degree as a microbiologist in the lab of a large winery in the Central Valley of California. In this position he focused on the scientific aspects of winemaking. After a short time Josh was promoted to a supervisory role in the cellar where he began to realize that his true passion was in the physical making of wine. He discovered that he enjoyed interacting with both the cellar team and the wine at every stage of winemaking. Thus, the decision was made to alter his career path and make the transition from analyzing wine to creating wine.

In 2003 Josh moved from the San Joaquin Valley to the Edna Valley, accepting a job as Cellar Master. In this position Josh was able to direct and work side-by side with the cellar team creating well known wines.Currently Josh serves as the winemaker for this same Edna Valley winery, a position that has afforded him many opportunities to expand his winemaking abilities including: studying winemaking through U.C. Davis’ distance learning program; collaborating with local renowned winemakers; and most recently, living in Bordeaux France for two months.

This combination of acquired skills and experiences has resulted in a personal winemaking style which strives to balance the science of winemaking with the holistic experience of creating a product to be proud of.

Matt Brain - Owner/Winemaker

With a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences and a background in process engineering, Matt brings both naturalist philosophies and highly technical abilities to winemaking. After leaving a successful career in the Toronto area to pursue his dream of winemaking in California, he found himself working the 2006 harvest with a custom winemaking operation in San Luis Obispo. Matt was quickly promoted to supervise cellar operations for the facility’s premium label. There he was able to develop a solid core of winemaking knowledge while cultivating a personal philosophy and winemaking style.

During his short time in California, Matt has held winemaking positions with renowned Central Coast wineries, earned a winemaking degree from U C Davis, joined the board of directors of The World of Pinot Noir, and established a strong relationship with the Enology and Viticulture Program at California Polytechnic University where he now lectures and manages the campus winery. Matt also takes an active role in mentoring students through their Senior Research Projects, allowing them to conduct trials under his supervision.

His love of outdoor adventure is obvious as Matt can often be found surfing his favorite spots along the Central Coast on weekends and holidays when he is not backpacking and hiking with his wife Melanie. The Brains paint, read, enjoy music, base their diet on local farmer’s market produce and pursue spirituality through a regular practice of Yoga and meditation.