What’s New??

Chances are that more than once over the last few months someone has asked if you have tried the wines from such-and-such a winery. Often your response will be, “No. I’ve never even heard of that winery.” Part of the proliferation of new labels is caused by the fact that wine grape growers, after years of selling their grapes to large wineries who go on to win kudos for the wine, have decided, “Gee, if the grapes are that good, I should be making my own wine.”


Stan Simpson is one of those growers. A former school teacher, Stan became interested in wine when one of his colleagues talked him into attending a wine tasting class. “That triggered the idea that, when I retired, wine was the direction I was going to go.” When that big day came, Stan took his retirement money and invested half in a cabinet-making shop in southern California. In 1972 Stan and his wife Julie used the other half to purchase a 40-acre mountain parcel in Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County). For several years, he tried to commute back and forth between the two projects, but eventually began to study viticulture and became a full-time farmer.

He pulled out stumps, prepared the soil and in 1987 planted four acres of bench-grafted Merlot vines. For the next eight years he tended his grapes in his Two Moon vineyard, high above the fog line at 1700 ft. and sold them to winemakers eager to work with such excellent fruit. Then, in 1996 he made his first single-vineyard Merlot, and his winery, named McCray Ridge, had a run-away success on its hands.

McCray Ridge wines are sold only by direct mail. To be placed on the mailing list those interested should write P. O. Box 1402, Healdsburg, CA 95448, or call 707-433-2932.