Mitchella Vineyard & Winery

In the eighties, after consuming a fair amount of White Zinfandel (Twin Hills, Mastantuano, etc), Angela and Darren Mitchell were converted by a bottle of 1987 Eberle Cabernet Sauvignon and their passionate quest for fine red wine began. In 1993, Darren frustrated by the high cost of their new hobby, decided to take a winemaking class taught by local Zinfandel legend, Charles Poalillo, at Cuesta Community College. What began as an attempt to save money, developed into a quest for more knowledge of wine and production, more classes (at UC Davis, Allan Hancock, Aspen School of Wine, Copia, and Cal Poly), investments in equipment and supplies, and finally, the shift back to Darren’s farming roots, a vineyard of their own.