It is no secret that we are big fans of the Historic Vineyard Society and the work done by its esteemed Board of Directors including the tireless efforts of the Society’s Executive Director Emily Rasmussen. Big “thank yous” to all of them. The latest newsletter, which Emily approved for sharing with Eve’s Wine 101 readers, is especially meaningful to us as it mirrors some of our 2025 experiences.
We wrote about the planned retirement of Kendall and Mike Officer and the upcoming closing of Carlisle Winery:
Perlises Pick Farewell to Carlisle Winery – Eve’s Wine and Spirits 101
Mike has also stepped down from his position as President of the HVS.
We also visited Ridge Lytton Springs and had a wonderful time with Senior Vice President of Vineyard Operations David Gates and Winemaker Shauna Rosenblum:
Perlises Pick Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs – Part One – Eve’s Wine and Spirits 101
Perlises Pick Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs – Part Two – Eve’s Wine and Spirits 101
Now David has been joined by his colleague Shauna on the Board of the HVS.
The photo accompanying this article is from the HVS newsletter showing Shauna along with now HVS Board President Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Vineyards speaking at Trentadue Winery during the Old Vine Conference.
We had the great pleasure of visiting the Bedrock Vineyard and writing about the HVS:
Here is the complete HVS newsletter for 2025:
Dear friends,
Thank you so much from all of us at HVS for another wonderful year! We’ve had an exciting year for HVS, particularly with the incredible turnout at our tasting at Fort Mason in San Francisco in May. Thanks so much to all who joined us! We’re excited for our third annual HVS in the City Tasting, set for Saturday, May 9, 2026 at Fort Mason. Tickets are on sale now!
This year, we bid “happy trails” to longtime HVS board member and president, Mike Officer. We’re so grateful to Mike for his years of dedication and commitment to Historic Vineyard Society!
HVS co-founder and board member Morgan Twain-Peterson has taken the helm as President of HVS. Additionally, we welcomed our newest board member, Shauna Rosenblum, who brings a wealth of experience in old vine viticulture and California history. Please join us in welcoming Shauna!
October 31-November 4, HVS was involved with the Old Vine Conference – A Meeting of the Minds. Taking place in the US for the first time, the Old Vine Conference began with an opening gala and keynote address in Napa and spanned across Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Lodi. We invite you to read the OVC Press Release here to learn more.
In addition to the two conference days, HVS had the opportunity to host a group of old vine thought leaders and media at three Sonoma County vineyards on November 2nd – view a video recap on our Instagram here. Conference topics included an outstanding history of California winegrowing by Joel Peterson, a panel discussion of the global old vine movement today, a technical briefing on the impacts of vine age on flavor and development, and much more. We walked away from the conference inspired by our global counterparts and community of professionals who join us in our mission to support old vines (and the fruits of their labor) each year.
THE HVS REGISTRY
This year, we welcomed several new vineyards to our HVS Registry:
- Rorick Heritage Vineyard, planted in 1975
- Foppiano Vineyards Block 3, planted in 1972
- William G. Micke Vineyard, planted in 1922
- Starscape Vineyard, planted in the early 1970s
- And more!
We continue to work closely with the Old Vine Registry team to maintain data consistency between the HVS Registry and the Old Vine Registry. We’re ever grateful to you, our loyal supporters and fellow old vine champions, for notifying us of any vineyards that we need to add to the registry or any information that should be updated. Please feel free to email us at info@historicvineyardsociety.org or fill out our online contact form: https://historicvineyardsociety.org/contact.
TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
HVS in the City is back! Saturday, May 9, 2026 at Fort Mason’s Gallery 308 in San Francisco. This tasting will bring together dozens of wineries to showcase an array of wines from California’s historic vineyards.
Purchase tickets:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
As the year comes to a close, we’d like to remind you about a few ways to support Historic Vineyard Society. While we operate with as little overhead cost as possible, we do have annual expenses to keep HVS up and running and to support ongoing initiatives. Your support is crucial in helping us continue our work toward promoting and preserving California’s oldest vineyards.
Ways to Support HVS:
- HVS Annual Membership – starting at just $50/year – join as an HVS member to receive a welcome gift and first access to HVS events!
- HVS Ah-So Wine Openers are available on our website here – a great gift for wine collectors!
A One-Time Donation to HVS – your tax-deductible donation supports the work of our organization all year round.
With gratitude,
The HVS Board of Directors
Morgan Twain-Peterson, MW Bob Biale
Tegan Passalacqua David Gates
Shauna Rosenblum Ryan Brennan
