Gantz Family Vineyards

The small size of Gantz Family Vineyards, just 4.5 planted acres, allows Clay Gantz to farm in a precise and labor-intensive manner. The hands-on work of trunk training, pruning, shoot positioning, leafing, irrigating and monitoring for pests have allowed Clay to get to know each and every vine; he works collaboratively with the rest of the vineyard team to make sure each plant gets what it needs. Clay and his wife, Celeste, bought the property in 2009, established the vineyard in 2010 and sold their first harvest to Kosta Browne Winery in 2013. They are currently selling to Dan Kosta of DK Wines. Clay is an award-winning amateur winemaker who completed the certificate program in winemaking offered by the world-renowned Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis, Extension for individuals employed in the wine industry. He is former president of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers. Clay is one of the founding members of the Russian River Valley Neighborhoods Initiative.

Celeste Gantz works alongside Clay to handle the shoot positioning, weeding and irrigation management in the vineyard and has taken over gopher control entirely. The two work together to produce and bottle the wine they make for friends and family. Celeste uses her 20-plus years overseeing legal departments to manage the administrative duties of Gantz Family Vineyards and gathers most of the content that populates their vibrant social media feeds. Celeste is an involved member of the Russian River Valley Winegrowers and the Russian River Valley Girls, an organization that connects women engaged in the local wine industry.