We had the weekend picked. I had even started picking out the wines.
A Condrieu from the French Rhône winery that quite literally saved Viognier from extinction, Georges Vernay.
Our Syrah poured alongside an Hermitage.
A beautiful pink Tavel next to our Rosé.
Domaine Tempier Bandol versus our Mourvèdre.
And, alongside Patriarche, the one I was especially looking forward to, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Alain Jaume, the winery we will be visiting when we float down the Rhône River with our guests this spring.
No need to save the date.
Carrie asked the simple question that tends to stop us in our tracks just as things start getting exciting.
Can we legally do this?
Enter California’s Tied-House Laws.
In short, these laws are meant to keep wineries, distributors and retailers from crossing lines. They date back to the end of Prohibition and were designed to prevent big players from buying influence, stacking the deck or squeezing out smaller producers. The goal was fairness. The result is a pretty rigid rulebook.
Here’s how it plays out for us.
As a winery, we are not allowed to host on-site or promote events that feature wines from other producers alongside our own if it looks like shared marketing or a public comparison. Even if the wines are educational. Even if no one is selling anything. Even if the intent is simply to tell a story about place, history and style.
Comparisons all makes sense in a wine glass. It is how winemakers learn. It is how context gets built. It is how American Rhône wines found their footing in the first place.
But under California law, putting those wines together under our roof, promoted by us, crosses the line. Intent does not matter. Education does not matter. The structure does.
So the weekend quietly disappeared from the calendar. The wines stayed hypothetical. The idea went back on the shelf.
And that is exactly why organizations like Rhône Rangers exist. Neutral ground. Clear rules. A place where many different wines can be tasted, talked about and celebrated openly.
We still believe in those comparisons. We just have to make them in the right places, under the right tents, with the right guardrails in place.
Sometimes that means telling the story instead of pouring the glass.
So meet us in Paso Robles at the Rhône Rangers Experience on March 21, 2026. And if you are coming, message us. We would love to grab dinner and share a glass, legally.
Josh Bendick
Co-winemaker
12 Responses
Darn. We will be down there March 12-16th for my sister’s birthday. Thanks for the invitation. Jim and Lisa Sargent
Bummer! So close.
Good grief! Sacramento’s super power is being a buzzkill!!
Ha. Fair point. Sacramento does have a talent for popping romantic bubbles. We’ll keep figuring out how to have fun though. Thanks for reading and chiming in!
Please make request of our/your state legislators to propose a bill to amend this state statute.
Yes! Maybe https://freethegrapes.org/ can take this on
So disappointing. Would you be able to do this comparison tasting as we float down the Rhône River in spring?
Yes, we would and we will! Vive la France!
What happens in France stays in France!! Look forward to the comparisons.
I love floating down the Rhone River and tasting our wines along side their French equivalents!
Interestingly, years ago, someone at Perry Creek winery did something similar with a blind tasting of Old vs. New World Rhone-style wines. (The attendees preferred New World to Old World, at least at that tasting.) I wonder if the organizer simply neglected to ask permission?
I’m sure it was an oversight. It’s hard to know all the rules. Have you ever noticed that wineries don’t mention their wholesale accounts on social media? The same law applies to that realm. Thanks for reading!