Haarmeyer Wine Cellars focused on organic fruits, high-quality wines | Focus on West Sacramento

Robyn Dobson

February 3

When someone hears "wine country," their first thought probably isn't the greater Sacramento region.

However, for Craig Haarmeyer and his family, West Sacramento has been the perfect site to learn winemaking and eventually start their own label.

Haarmeyer has been immersed in the food and wine scene almost his entire life. Growing up, Haarmeyer's parents owned several restaurants in Old Sacramento. In the late '70s, they also opened their own wine shop above one of the restaurants.

"I just kind of have food and wine in my blood," Haarmeyer said.

Haarmeyer got his first taste of commercial wine making in the late '90s. After returning from art school, Haarmeyer had the opportunity to help his friend Charles Myers at Harbor Winery during harvest season. Harbor Winery has since closed down and is now the home of Haarmeyer Wine Cellars.

"We've really come full circle and are back to where we started," Haarmeyer said.

Craig and Alex Haarmeyer. Haarmeyer Wine Cellars began custom crushing in 2008. (Craig Haarmeyer / Courtesy)

Family-owned and operated, Haarmeyer Wine Cellars officially began custom crushing in 2008 with fruit from a vineyard in Lodi, California. They began producing wines using mostly Spanish and Portuguese varieties.

"Later on I discovered that I could make a high quality of Chenin Blanc from the local fruit as well," Haarmeyer explained. "That's kind of what inspired and got us to where we are today so we mainly focus on that Chenin Blanc now."

Haarmeyer Wine Cellars now has six vineyard sources for Chenin: three in the Sacramento River Delta, one in eastern Lodi and two in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

In addition to Chenin Blanc, they also work with Wirz Vineyard in San Benito County to make a unique Riesling, produce two Zinfandels from plantings in Lodi and work with three sites for Nebbiolo. More recently, they also began working with Mokelumne Glen Vineyards to make Blaufrenkisch and a Gemischter Satz. Haarmeyer noted that they are committed to using a "low intervention" process and only working with farmers who grow their fruit organically.

However, even with all these great varieties, Haarmeyer said his favorite variety to drink is Chenin Blanc, noting how it handles oxygen and its texture.

Craig Haarmeyer. Haarmeyer Wine Cellars mostly focuses on producing high-quality Chenin Blanc. (Craig Haarmeyer / Courtesy)

According to Haarmeyer Wine Cellar's website, Chenin Blanc's naturally high acidity and the way it handles oxidative aging makes the wines "refreshing and sour in their youth and nutty and complex in their old age."

While there have been many benefits, for Haarmeyer, one of the best aspects of being in the wine industry is the people he gets to surround himself with.

"Pretty much everybody in the business is very personally invested," Haarmeyer emphasized. "Whether somebody works for somebody else or somebody runs their winery or students, you're guaranteed to be surrounded by thoughtful, creative, interesting people."

As he looks to the future, Haarmeyer said he hopes one day he can watch his kids take over from him and find it just as fulfilling as he does.

"We have some of the highest quality Chenin Blanc being made in this country," Haarmeyer said. "We are all over the East Coast, West Coast, middle of the country, Canada and the UK. We produce some really light, expressive, handmade wines. We are just making the highest quality wines that we can with as little intervention as possible. They're delicious wines and some of the best Chenins you'll find around here."

Haarmeyer Wine Cellars products can be found throughout the United States and internationally at several restaurants, bars, wine shops and specialty stores. Locally, they can be found at Corti Brothers and Taylor's Market in Sacramento, Nugget Markets, the Davis Food Co-op and various wine bars in the Sacramento area. Haarmeyer Wine Cellars also offers a unique tasting experience where patrons have the opportunity to taste directly from the barrel.

For more information about Haarmeyer Wine Cellars or to see the complete list of where you can find their products, visit their website at https://haarmeyerwinecellars.com/.