Success Off the Vine

Some of them were born to make wine. Others found their way there later in life. But there’s one thing they all have in common—working tirelessly to move the San Diego wine scene forward with care, community building, and confidence.

San Diego isn’t just a wine-drinking town. We’re also a wine-making town with two American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in San Pasqual Valley and Ramona Valley. With regions like Napa Valley, Paso Robles, and Temecula to the north, and Valle de Guadalupe to the south, local winemakers have had to work hard to make a name for themselves outside of these more widely known (and rightfully respected) regions. Meet five of the many pioneering advocates helping to bring the San Diego wine scene to the forefront.

THE TEACHER

Heidi Greenwood

Founder, Esquina Wine Shop and The Puente House

Heidi Greenwood launched Esquina Wine Shop in 2021 as an online wine retailer focusing on low-intervention wines, alternative packaging, and underrepresented producers. She’s also behind The Puente House, a consulting company that helps small businesses “bridge the gap of operational needs in international freight logistics, compliance, and business strategy centered around wine,” says Greenwood.

Analytics and logistics may not be the most romantic aspects of the wine industry, Greenwood admits. But climate change, weather patterns, and economic factors all affect how, when, and where wine ends up and how much it’ll cost. She believes people should know more than just the grapes in the wine, and it shouldn’t be difficult or expensive to find out. That’s exactly why Greenwood is also working with Chiara Shannon, Dan Valerino, and Master of Wine Martin Reyes to launch a free online educational platformcalled Somm Sustainability, with a goal to reach everyone—from grocery store stockists to aspiring beverage directors—to provide a comprehensive overview of the industry as well as the final product. Greenwood knows San Diego already has a great wine vocabulary. But we can go further. “We’ve grown so much,” she says. “I don’t want to see us plateau.”

» esquinashopsd.com

“I think we’ve opened at least a few minds to what can be done at a winery.” —Suzanna Beltz, Oddish Wine

THE EXPERIMENTALIST

Suzanna Beltz

Cofounder, Oddish Wine

“I’ve always been a fan of wine but never imagined I’d actually own a winery—I mean, that was always a bougie rich person thing,” Suzanna Beltz laughs. She’s the cofounder of Oddish Wine along with her husband Billy, who launched the winery two years ago after starting Lost Cause Meadery in 2017. She says that after half a decade of fermenting honey and fruits like prickly pears, blueberries, and cherries, why not give grapes a try?

She says their creative approach and efforts at expanding into vermouth and coferments have started to bear fruit. “I think we’ve opened at least a few minds to what can be done at a winery,” she says, adding that she hopes their wine menu, made entirely of San Diego County grapes, inspires people to explore the burgeoning local wine scene without having to head out of town. “No matter where you live in San Diego County there’s a winery nearby—even if you don’t know it yet.”

» oddish.wine

THE ADVOCATE

Teri Kerns

President, Ramona Ranch Winery

As the only certified sustainable vineyard and winery in San Diego County, Ramona Ranch Winery’s award-winning wines range from sangiovese to sauvignon blanc, all grown, pressed, fermented, and packaged without herbicides in order to fully encapsulate the terroir of Ramona.

As president of the winery, Kerns is the catalyst behind many of the winery’s sustainability initiatives; she also serves as the secretary of the Women’s Wine Alliance and the program and education director for the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association, and she earned a level three WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) certificate in 2024. All this comes after her service in the navy and a career in healthcare business development, experiences from which she draws inspiration to push the winery forward.

Kerns loves it when people enjoy their wine. But she loves it even more when they understand where it comes from. “Know where your foods—in this case, wine grapes—are grown, how they are treated in the field, and what makes them unique or special,” she implores, adding that San Diego has more small farms per capita than any other county in the country. That’s definitely something special.

» ramonaranchwines.com

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THE BELIEVER

Denise Clarke

CEO, winemaker, and co-owner, Altipiano Vineyard & Winery

When Altipiano’s winemaker left to focus on personal ventures, it was a sign to Denise Clarke. “Somebody else was really doing our interpretation of who they thought we were,” she explains. She sat down with her husband and decided, at age 54, to take over winemaking operations at Altipiano. “That took a lot of guts to do something like that, because I didn’t have a track record,” she laughs. “But [with] the encouragement from some of the folks I’d met early on, I knew in my gut that I was making the right decision.”

Was she afraid? Certainly. Did she make mistakes? Absolutely. But by surrounding herself with smart people who could give her truthful advice, Clarke found the courage to write her own story through wine and eventually share it with her local community—one that’s supported her from day one. “It’s just like having this extended family,” she says. “You can’t do this business by yourself.”

» altipianovineyard.com

THE SCHOLAR

Lisa Redwine

General manager and wine director, Burtech Family Vineyard

Despite her name, Redwine was interested in cooking long before she turned to wine. “My maternal grandmother was an amazing cook, and I developed my love of food, wine, and hospitality from her,” she explains. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Redwine pursued an education in hospitality at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, earning her bachelor’s degree in restaurant management and speech, as well as graduating with honors from the Culinary Institute of America. She went on to earn the title of Advanced Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and has worked as an advisor and instructor for the business of wine certification program at San Diego State University for nearly 20 years. She’s also the president and founder of the Women’s Wine Alliance, executive leader for SommCon, and was recently selected for the 2024 USA Wine Tasting Team.

While she has plenty of history across the United States wine scene, she still calls San Diego home. “San Diego [is] a tight-knit wine community, where we work together to make us all better,” Redwine says, adding that she only got to where she is today with open-mindedness and hard work. And after more than 25 years in the industry, she’s happy to share her knowledge with the next generation.

» burtechfamilyvineyard.com

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Hero image: Lauren di Matteo for Edible San Diego.