Christie Vineyards

Christie Vineyards
851 Limerick Lane
Healdsburg, California
USA 95448
Phone: 707-431-0662
http://www.christievineyards.com/

Contact: Steve Christie Aitken

A passion for independence and an ardent commitment to follow the heart provide the inspiration behind Christie wines. The vineyard takes its name from proprietor Steve Christie Aitken's Great Grandfather - John Christie Aitken - a rebel union leader in Scotland; and from Grandpa John Christie Aitken, Jr., a bootlegger in Marin County during the prohibition years.

Against the wishes of the British monarchy, John Sr. led the movement to unionize his fellow railroad workers. During a campaign to rid the country of dissidents, John was shanghaied. Taken through a trap door in a local pub, he was conscripted into the royal navy, and managed to jump ship in Oregon in 1893, where he temporarily changed his name to "Blackie" to avoid recapture. Upon the death of the queen, John received an automatic pardon and returned to his family name.

Steve brings the same free spirit and straightforward, hard-working attitude to winemaking as his ancestors brought to their endeavors. Visitors to the modest redwood barn the Aitkens erected to house the winery are likely to find Steve with some combination of dirt, grease or grape juice on his hands. The siding around the sliding barn door displays the branded initials of Club Christie members. And his son, Jack, is usually playing outside. At Christie, the focus is simple: family coming together to create delicious wines. "We don't have caves and chandeliers," says Steve, "but we do have barbecue and horseshoes."

A mechanic by trade, Steve Aitken started an automotive repair shop in Novato at age 18, which flourished in his hands for 30 years. Dreaming of returning to his family's agricultural roots, Steve spent his weekends searching for a place to raise a family and cultivate wine grapes. In 1981, he discovered the beautiful parcel of Dry Creek land that is now half of Christie Vineyards. Still immersed in his business, Steve had been a weekend farmer for 17 years when he took a home winemaking course and produced his first "estate" barrel. Excited by the results, he became serious about viticulture; commuting from their businesses in Novato to evening classes at the SRJC and learning in the laboratory of his own Dry Creek vines each weekend.

Ready to move north, Steve purchased the second half of Christie Vineyards - the Russian River Valley land - in 1997, to be his home and to accommodate the winery he would build the following year. After his son Jack was born in 2001, Steve sold the auto repair business to move into his farmhouse on Limerick Lane and become a full-time farmer.

In addition to his intense hands-on involvement in all aspects of growing and producing his wines, Steve cares for an organic vegetable garden, a fruit orchard and a tangle of wild berries. Visitors to the winery are often encouraged to sample Steve's famous barbecue.

Winemaker: Steve Christie Aitken

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