Karin Warnelius-Miller Elected To CA Association Of Winegrape Growers

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Karin Warnelius-Miller, proprietor, winegrower and winemaker of Garden Creek Ranch Vineyards Winery in Geyserville, was recently appointed director of District 1 for the California Association of Winegrape Growers.

“As a lifelong member of the winegrowing and winemaking community in Alexander Valley, I am honored and thrilled to join CAWG, which has such an impressive history of representing the interests of winegrape growers throughout the state,” Warnelius-Miller said in a news release. “It is imperative to have advocacy on issues that affect winegrowers across California. Coming from a family that has grown and produced wine in Sonoma County for six decades, I am eager to bring my experiences and expertise to the table to protect and communicate the interests of my fellow winegrowers as well as speak about our contributions to California’s agricultural success.”

As a director of District 1, Warnelius-Miller now represents and advocates for local winegrape growers alongside representatives from Napa, Marin, Mendocino and Lake counties. She also plans to be part of the Industry Affairs & Sustainability Committee, which oversees activities of sustainability via the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, research and extension, winegrape statistics, environmental issues, and pest management issues.

Warnelius-Miller was born in Linköping, Sweden, and immigrated to the United States in the 1970s with her family, who established themselves as grape growers in the Alexander Valley in 1976. Warnelius-Miller continues this legacy today alongside her husband, Justin Warnelius-Miller, an eighth-generation Californian, at Garden Creek, a 100-acre vineyard established in 1969 by Justin's family.

Karin has worked in many aspects of the wine industry, including marketing and international sales at Boisset USA and distributor sales at Jackson Family Wines, working under Regal Wine Company. Her heart and soul have always remained in Alexander Valley, where she resides and raises her family while crafting sophisticated, age-worthy wines with her husband at the estate that has remained in their family since 1963.

CAWG Celebrates 50 Years

CAWG is the only statewide organization dedicated exclusively to protecting and promoting the interests of winegrape growers in front of the state legislature. For 50 years, CAWG has served as the primary advocacy group for California’s winegrowing community and addresses the vast array of issues facing winegrape growing, including pest and disease management, water use, marketing, DTC shipping and more.

CAWG is governed by a 29-person board of directors, consisting of 27 growers representing diverse regions and operations throughout the state, and two directors-at-large.

According to a Nov. 9 news release, Gregg Hibbits of Grapevine Capital Partners in San Luis Obispo was elected as the new chairman of the CAWG board, succeeding Tom Slater of Slater Farms, Inc., who served in the role since 2021. The newly elected officer team includes Jeff Bitter, a winegrape grower in Madera and John Chandler of Chandler Farms in Selma as vice-chairs; Duff Bevill of Bevill Vineyard Management, LLC in Healdsburg as secretary; and Jason Smith of Valley Farm Management in Salinas as treasurer.

"Gregg's wealth of experience in the winegrape sector is poised to be an invaluable asset as he guides the association into its 50th year," said Natalie Collins, president of CAWG. "With Gregg at the helm, CAWG remains steadfast in its advocacy efforts, navigating the intricate landscape of state and federal legislation and regulations for the benefit of winegrape growers."

Warnelius-Miller, whose term commenced Dec. 1, is joined by five other new directors: George Donati of Pacific Coast Farming in San Luis Obispo; Tom Merwin of Merwin Vineyards in Clarksburg; Ben Kolber of KG Vineyard Management in Lodi; Ryan Winters of Winters Farming, Inc. in Manteca; and Eric Marthedal of Marthedal Farms in Fresno.

CAWG extended sincere gratitude to the outgoing directors for their dedicated service on the board: Bill Berryhill of BB Vineyards in Clements, Stephen Kautz of Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys, Davindar Mahil of Creekside Farming Co. in Madera, Tom Slater of Slater Farms, Inc. in Clarksburg, Mike Testa of Coastal Vineyard Care Associates, and Taylor Serres of Serres Ranch in Sonoma.

2nd-Generation Winegrowers, Winemakers

Garden Creek Ranch is a winegrowing estate founded in 1963 in the eastern hills of the Mayacamas Mountains near the town of Geyserville in the heart of the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County, California. Consisting of 100 acres (41 ha), the property rises in elevation from 225 to 625 feet (68 to 190 m) above sea level. The estate has been sustainably tended with regenerative practices for the past 30 years, and the diverse Northern California hillside vineyards are matched in beauty by the strength of the grand mountains above. The Warnelius-Miller family has been winegrowing since 1969 at Garden Creek. Justin Warnelius-Miller is a second-generation winegrower at Garden Creek, following in his father’s footsteps.

Karin, too, is a second-generation winegrower and winemaker who spent her youth cultivating her family’s 200 acres of vineyards and winery only a few miles north of Garden Creek. Karin and Justin share a fervent vision of fine articulate winegrowing and believe in the intimate relationship of a farmer’s hand with the vine and the power of family, which all begins with the land.

Together, they express the enduring depths of Garden Creek through the production of two wines: Tesserae ($125), an estate Cabernet Sauvignon Assemblage; and a Chardonnay, Clonal Selection ($70). Garden Creek is only open by advance appointment and to private members on its mailing list by invitation. Visit Gardencreekvineyards.com to read more of Karin and Justin's story