Ep. 57: Dedicate Yourself to the Grind of Winemaking with Mike Sinor

In today’s episode, let me introduce you to Mike Sinor, Founding Winemaker of Ancient Peaks Winery.

Raised in Visalia, California, Mike attended college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, where he financed his education by working at several local wineries— an experience that ignited his career in winemaking. As Ancient Peaks’ founding winemaker, Mike was an integral force in the establishment of the winery. He came in as one of the Central Coast’s highest-rated winemakers and immediately reinforced that reputation with Ancient Peaks’ 2006 Zinfandel (93 points, Wine Spectator) and many wines thereafter. Today, Mike continues to direct the quality and style of Ancient Peaks wines, and he maintains a guiding hand in the winery’s estate Margarita Vineyard.

Let’s dive into his wine story!

[00:01 – 09:45] Falling in Love with Winemaking

• Mike shares his wine origin story
• Not growing up with classic food or wine and ended up working for six small brand wineries
• How El Paso de Robles is a great place to be about wine - still the Wild West

[09:46 – 23:05] The Backstory of Ancient Peaks Winery

• The birth of Ancient Peaks Winery - at the right place and the right time
• Building connections to invite opportunities in the wine industry
• Mike explains the realities of the grower and winemaker processes

[23:06 – 28:26] Work Hard and Have an Open Mind

• Mike talks about their wines
• Dealing with extremes - adapting and overcoming
• Do not make excuses and dedicate yourself to your passion

[28:27 – 33:37] Closing Segment

• Learn everything you need to grow your wine, business, or brand with Wine Business Bootcamp where I help other wine producers master the fundamentals of digital marketing, nail their customer experience, and convert more wine tasters into their wine clubs and other offers. Just send me a dm or email at [email protected] the subject: Wine Business Bootcamp
• Favorite Wine
• Favorite go-to pairing
• • Tri-tip with salsa and Ancient Peaks’ Renegade
• Wine Resource
• • Internet
  • YouTube
  • Podcasts

Connect with Mike

Website: https://ancientpeaks.com/ 

Let’s continue the Everyday Wine Conversations and connect with me through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. You can also check out my website at ​www.​klevywineco.com.

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Tweetable Quotes:

“I knew where I was going. I knew I wanted to work for a great winemaker… I went to Cal Poly to be an educator… You know, I think education is a great part of life.”  - Mike Sinor

“Understand what it takes, details to make great wine, to grow wine… It takes years to get the reputation, to get the contacts, and the network, you know?... It's a grind, and it really is a grind.”  - Mike Sinor