Kenneth Volk Santa Maria Valley

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History

Don't let the calligraphy scare you away, it's still me, the artist previously known with the horse label. It's a rare opportunity to reinvent oneself in the wine industry, but that's what I'm doing. My previous industry job left me with a silver spoon in my mouth, which I've melted down and have been spending my time fixing up my new winery and launching my family namesake brand, smaller, better and slower.

Winemaker

Ken's first professional winemaking experience was at nearby Edna Valley Vineyard, working "the crush," as harvest is known in the winegrape industry. The following year he convinced his family to back his plans for developing a vineyard. He searched the Central Coast for an ideal location, looking as far south as Santa Barbara and as far north as Santa Cruz. "At the time, this part of the world was not taken seriously for fine wine production," recalled Ken. "But looking at some of the wines being produced at Chalone, Edna Valley Vineyard and Estrella River Winery (now Meridian Vineyards), I knew that wines from the Central Coast could compete with wines from any California region or anywhere else in the world." In 1981, Ken and the Volk family established Wild Horse Vineyard and constructed Wild Horse Winery. Over the next twenty-two years, production grew from 600 to 150,000 cases. In 2003, he sold Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards to Peak Wines International, a division of Jim Beam Brands Worldwide. In December of 2004, Ken purchased the "Original" Byron Winery facility from the Robert Mondavi Corporation and renamed the property Kenneth Volk Vineyards. In 2006 the first wines were released. Ken Volk has served the community well over his 25 years in the wine industry. In 1982, he was the founding President of the Paso Robles Grape Growers Association. In 1986, he served as Vice President of the Central Coast Wine Growers Association. He has served as Chairman of the Board of the Paso Robles Vintners and Growers Association (1998-2001) and was part of the founding Board of World of Pinot Noir. Volk currently serves as a founding Board member and Chair of the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Enology, Wine Marketing and Viticulture Advisory Council and as Secretary of the Board of the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association.