Ampelos Cellars

Ampelos Cellars Soil. Vines. Wines. This is the order in which we believe great wine is made. Ampelos is the greek word for vine. www.ampeloscellars.com

We are very proud to be one of the first vineyard in the US to be CERTIFIED sustainable, organic, and biodynamic. Waking up from the dream is the real belief that a farmer must know his fruit, and we are resolute in our passion to produce hands on, minimally invasive wines that both whisper and shout about the terroir from which they are grown. Our commitment to eco-friendly, natural farming and w

inemaking is evident in every sip. Coming from a life of corporate toil, a canceled meeting in the first tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, opened our eyes to the fact that we could no longer put our dreams on hold. Our new lives began with 15 acres of Pinot Noir and Syrah in 2002, then 10 more acres in 2005. We approach winemaking with respect for traditional winemaking practices and openness to experimentation. We believe that the journey is the destination, and prioritize creating quality natural wines sustainably. Sharing the literal fruits of this journey is what makes us excited to walk into the vineyard and winery each day. The best part about being winemakers is the opportunity to meet and share our wine with others. Come see us...

Peter and Rebecca Work

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Great wine tasting in Los Alamos!In August Rebecca and I did our second wine trip to Valle de Guadelupe in Mexico and we...
11/06/2025

Great wine tasting in Los Alamos!

In August Rebecca and I did our second wine trip to Valle de Guadelupe in Mexico and were very impressed with their wines. We had an awesome afternoon at Mina Penelope together with Nathan and Valorie and invited them to come visit us. That just happened!

We decided to arrange a small VdG wine tasting and invited our good friend Matt Kettmann from Wine Enthusiast to join us for a great tasting of wines from this up-and-coming wine region. Wonderful time at Full of Life Flatbread.

Life is good in Los Alamos

Picking grapes!  This is where it happens.So, I get out in the vineyard at the crack of light to check how the picking i...
10/29/2025

Picking grapes! This is where it happens.

So, I get out in the vineyard at the crack of light to check how the picking is going. Jesus, Chencho and the crew are working at full pace….but who is pulling leaves out of the picking bins? Jeff Newton - a legend in the valley and way beyond! He has been my vineyard management mentor and teacher for now well over two decades. He has established this amazing vineyard farming company that all winemakers in the valley have leveraged from in the last decades.

I think this is the definition of hands-on farming – and passion! And I know that Jeff has probably picked a few other vineyards already this night! What an honor it was pulling leaves out of the picking bins with Jeff early this morning as the crew kept bringing in the buckets of amazing Grenache from Groundstar Vineyard.

After we finished the pick we walked back to our trucks enjoying the sunset over the vineyard…as we realized that we have the best job in the world!

Great time this weekend pouring at the Santa Barbrara Vintners Festival - and hanging out with our friends from Amada.  ...
10/20/2025

Great time this weekend pouring at the Santa Barbrara Vintners Festival - and hanging out with our friends from Amada.

Wonderful weather, great food, wine and 1500 happy people.

Crush is on at Ampelos Cellars!  We have brought in the first batches of Pinot Noir from the vineyard and now they are s...
10/04/2025

Crush is on at Ampelos Cellars! We have brought in the first batches of Pinot Noir from the vineyard and now they are starting their fermentation journey.

The cold spring and mild summer have enabled the grapes to slowly develop nice flavors, balanced acids, solid tannins and promising colors.

So our harvest crew is back in gear with Jesse on the forklift, Rebecca feeding the destemmer, Matt doing the groundwork and me….taking pictures, smelling, chewing stems and yelling orders. Feels so great to be back in harvest mode!

A toast to the 2025 vintage!

Harvest is getting started here in Sta Rita Hills.  Time to check sugar, pH, seed color, skin texture, flavors, leaves, ...
09/28/2025

Harvest is getting started here in Sta Rita Hills. Time to check sugar, pH, seed color, skin texture, flavors, leaves, soil moisture etc. Time to make this crucial decision: When do we pick?

As always Rebecca and I are teaming up!

Exciting days in this beautiful valley!

Nice article about visiting Santa Barbara County and how Sustainablity is a cornerstone for many of the vineyards and wi...
09/04/2025

Nice article about visiting Santa Barbara County and how Sustainablity is a cornerstone for many of the vineyards and wineries.

A couple of nice mentions of Ampelos in the article. Interesting to think that 17 years ago we were on the first pilot project for sustainable grape farming certification. It pleases Rebecca and I that so many more now are on board on this amazing program.

Great picture in the article of one of our chicken at block 8…

https://discovercaliforniawines.com/blog/a-wine-lovers-guide-to-santa-barbara/

Party time at the ranch:  Great time celebrating the annual GoGi wineclub release party with our dear friend Kurt Russel...
06/14/2025

Party time at the ranch: Great time celebrating the annual GoGi wineclub release party with our dear friend Kurt Russell and family.

The new owners of the ranch and vineyard, Joe and Chiara were the perfect hosts.

What a party!

Having a great time doing custom Pinot Noir blends here in Tokyo!Before we left Lompoc we pulled barrel samples to bring...
05/24/2025

Having a great time doing custom Pinot Noir blends here in Tokyo!

Before we left Lompoc we pulled barrel samples to bring with us on the plane. Our great Japan importer arranged a number of custom blending sessions this week where we explained Pinot Noir clones, new oak influence, cofermentation of clones, evaluation of young wines etc. Together we then created their own blends through a set of iterations to reach their flavor preference – they became winemakers for the day!

This summer that wine will be bottled, custom labeled and shipped to Japan. So exciting to “bring” the winery with us to Japan and share the magic of clone/barrel evaluation and blending!

Japan: Here we come!  Rebecca and I are enjoying a business trip to Japan. Taking in Tokyo which is such an amazing  pla...
05/21/2025

Japan: Here we come! Rebecca and I are enjoying a business trip to Japan. Taking in Tokyo which is such an amazing place. Winemaker dinners, seminars, wine club tastings and probably most exciting doing custom blends with Pinot Noir barrel samples we brough from our barrel room in Lompoc.

Meeting old and making new friends in this impressive and very enjoyable city! So many friendly faces and helpful people. But of course also time to do a little tourism...we love it here!

Having a great time in Denmark:  12 winemaker dinners – 7 custom pinot noir blend sessions – 12 lunches and private tast...
04/14/2025

Having a great time in Denmark: 12 winemaker dinners – 7 custom pinot noir blend sessions – 12 lunches and private tastings. Whew….now time for a short trip to Mallorca!

Address

312 N. 9th Street
Lompoc, CA
93436

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+18057369957

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