January 19, 2016 – It was a class at Hartnell College that included an eye-opening field trip to local Monterey vineyards that awakened the desire in Miguel Lepe to be in the wine business. He didn’t have any family history of involvement, but now, his entire family and his growing circle of fans and friends are helping make his dream of launching Lepe Cellars a reality.

After that initial inspiration, Lepe went to Cal Poly to pursue a degree in enology and viticulture, working in the small onsite vineyard and winery they have on campus. His first harvest was at Claiborne & Churchill in Edna Valley in 2009, where he learned how to drive a forklift, run the crusher-stemmer and operate the press. It was a fundamental foundation for his winemaking skills and he couldn’t have learned how to make aromatic whites—like Gewurztraminer and Riesling—from a better winemaker than Coby Parker-Garcia.

Click HERE to view Edible Monterey Bay’s Newsletter about Lepe Cellars