If you ask Mark West, “So, what do you do?” with regard to the winery, he will laugh heartily as he sits back and wraps his mind around the myriad of thoughts and threads associating this winemaker with said winery. His answers are complex and relaxed - the perfect combination of intellect, composure, empirical and academic knowledge. In order to assimilate the answers of Rominger West’s winemaker, we must weave in the barrels, the vines and the culture.

The winery, complete with oak barrels, vats, crusher, de-stemmer and other arcane equipment, lies just east of downtown Davis, on Second Street, just before Mace Boulevard. The vines, the rootstock of which is all from France, populate the vineyards of Chapman Hill, Chapman Flat, Arnold and Herren - all located west of Davis. The culture unfolds amidst the grapes and the esoterica.

Mark’s business card, through its subheading “Artisan Wines - Regional Stewardship,” tells the story of the community-mindedness of the winery’s founders. In speaking to these characteristics, Mark states that the artisan wine is about making the “very best quality wines we can from our location.” As to the regional stewardship, “We are the people who are managing our land and our resources for our future generations…for our children and for their children.”