TErah wine co.

Who: Terah Bajjalieh

Where: Richmond, California

What grapes: Aligoté, Vermentino, Falanghina, Barbera, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir

How many bottles: ±

Key facts:

Website: terahwineco.com

Richmond felt like a port city anywhere, with California flourishes. Bike lanes filled with active boomers wove through industrial areas. A diner served fantastic chilaquiles, in trucker portions. It was not beautiful. It was appealing. 

Terah Wine Co. shares a vast warehouse with a cluster of producers. It’s a relationship of economic necessity. An incubator. Coworking with people on the same journey is smart.

Even in atmospheric old portside buildings, a winery is kinda just a winery. At some point in the last quarter century I lost interest in spending time inside production areas. Terah Bajjaliah wanted to show me fields, not barrels. So we ditched my rental car at the Oakland train station, and headed for the country. 

Exploring wine areas usually means heading for the literal hills. Our journey started along the Sacramento river, below sea level. This river used to flood. After completing the transcontinental railroad, Chinese immigrants designed a series of levees to make farming fertile alluvial soil viable. The original system was simple: small dikes built with a shovel. In the wake of large-scale railroad construction, this skilled labor pool built huge levees to permanently hold back the water. A farming oasis was born.

We passed wooden river towns abandoned by Steinbeck. A trip to these settlements is appealing. Agrarian, without the vastness of the central valley. I wanted to linger along the placid river. To read a book under a willow tree. We had farms to explore. Imaginary vacations can be rewarding.

We pulled over next to a grove of 60-year-old pear trees. A field of Cortese, Falanghina, and Loureiro vines was our neighbor. Lost Slough vineyard. Celia McCormick’s father liked Cortese and Falanghina, and planted these Italian characters. Today her farm also grows Chenin Blanc. It’s nice when people take a different path. 

We poked around in some rows. Vineyard manager Ben Kolber explained the Lodi Rules monitored sustainability program that shapes the work at Lost Slough. The property uses sheep for weed control, instead of spraying herbicide. Lodi Rules requires preservation of water resources, healthy soil management, and attention to humans working on a farm. Ben employs two dozen Pakistani-American workers, year-round. They aren’t disposable seasonal labor. The same group works perennially to keep the vines healthy. The company modifies working hours during Ramadan. Kolber and his young son talked about the importance of sharing facets of their Jewish-American traditions during work meals with Muslim employees. 

A lot of extractive agriculture happens in California. I visit farms to see how people who actually tend grapes live and work. We continue to struggle with breaking systems of white supremacy: white owners and managers, brown workers. It is fundamental to treat viticultural workers as valued employees, not cost inputs on a profit-and-loss report. 

Terah gets Falanghina from Lost Slough. The vines are farmed with two shoots per spur, and two clusters per shoot. The site isn’t tilled. It is farmed organically. Kolber’s harvest team picks at night and in the morning, usually in the first and second week of September. Massican used these vines for their white Italian wines before Gallo acquired that winery. Liocco and Matthiasson also use fruit from Lost Slough vineyard, which is a part of the Clarksburg AVA.

Tasted in the field with Celia and Ben, the 2023 Terah Wine Co. Falanghina was very floral. The wine is fermented on the skins for 14 days. Pleasantly mineral, with defined stone fruit and lemon. Charming. 

We drove thirty minutes from Lost Slough to a 10-acre site called River’s Edge vineyard in the Mokelumne River Lodi AVA. The bay stretches east to the Antioch bridge, halfway between Terah’s cellar in Richmond and Lodi. River’s Edge vineyard was warm in May, but coastal maritime influence could be felt. We stopped to see Demeter-certified biodynamic Sangiovese, planted in 1997. The property manager practices Fokuoka-style no till farming at River’s Edge vineyard. Terah Wine Co. makes two Sangiovese from the field, a carbonic short maceration version, and a more traditional iteration. The latter had red cherry aromas and a silky texture when we tasted it among the vines. Tasting a wine next to its vines is instructive. 

After our Sangiovese stop, Terah set course for the Clements Hills AVA. Our target: Demeter-certified biodynamic Vermentino. Bench Vineyard. The farm is vast. We trekked around flat vineyard blocks. We admired an oasis of trees enveloping a winding river at one end of the vineyard. The lower block of vines close to this water is in a flood plain. The higher, flat parcel ripens faster in California’s unremitting sunlight. Tasted in the shade of Balijjah’s trunk door, the wine she makes from these parcels seemed tropical. Pith/rind character. Interesting. The Vermentino goes through malo, and is unfined and unfiltered. A 12-day maceration puts the wine into orange wine-adjacent territory.

Get comfortable: we’re setting out for the Amador foothills. It’s a long drive. There are former mining towns along the way filled with tourists, antique stores, and (critical point here) cheese shops. We needed a dairy-based gift to offer Ann Kraener, fruit grower at certified organic Shake Ridge Ranch. Her family makes wines under the Yorba label. When we arrived, the Kraener clan (I met two sisters, a brother, and some nieces) were in the dying embers of a three-day party. As we drove up, a friendly boomerish fellow was packing up his acoustic guitar, and surveying remnants of a major meal. Cookware, bottles, dozens of wine-stained glasses. We were late to the party.  

Ann’s family were citrus growers before buying the property where she currently lives and works. Shake Ridge ranch is 1,700-1,810ft. above sea level. The area is known for old vine Primitivo, vines saved by Sutter Home white zin. Ann Kraener told us stories of working with important figures of 20th century California viticulture. Now she does her own thing. Greco di Tufo gets deserved attention at Shake Ridge Ranch. Rows are planted northeast-southwest to maximize sun exposure. Head-trained Zinfandel vines are here, also Tempranillo and Grenache. Rainfall totals are low, though maybe not by California standards. The farm gets 36-48” of rain per year. In 2025 they only received 27 inches. Drought year totals have been as low as 20 inches. The deep basaltic soil functions as a sponge, saving sufficient moisture. Soil at Shake Ridge Ranch can hold 2-3” per foot of rainfall, even more with a robust cover crop.

On Anne’s patio, we tried some wines. The Terah Wine Co. carbonic Sangiovese from River’s Edge vineyard was tasty in the warmth of May. Delicate. Caparsa Sangiovese rosato drinkers would love it. 

The 2023 Terah Wine Co. Barbera Shake Ridge Ranch Amador Co. AVA spends 10 months in neutral puncheons. Amaro aromas: baking spices, dried citrus rind. Whole cluster fermentation. Freshness indicative of careful winemaking. The merits of an idyllic vineyard location in full view. 

We talked politics. Tariffs. The joy of travel in Tuscany and Puglia. Ann is planning a big family excursion. I was delighted to imagine these farmers among Italian vines. 

We drove back to the east bay. I accidentally ate a hot dog from the Shake Shack with the remainder of the Terah Wine Co. carbonic Sangiovese. I didn’t order a hot dog with cheese. I ordered a burger with bacon and avocado. I walked back from the town’s simulacra of a food court to my hotel, crossing a four-lane road. The bag said Jay, and contained a hot dog. It was for a different Jay. Two Jays in one Shake Shack simultaneously: what are the odds? I wonder if the other Jay was happy or sad with his burger. 

The wine was still good. I looked out the window at busy commercial waters, and slept.

The morning began with the aforementioned chilaquiles. Ballasted, I met Terah at her warehouse. We looked around, and then tasted some wines. Here are my notes:

2023 Terah Wine Co. Aligote Siletto Family Vineyard. Barrel sample from a 100 case production. The fruit is from young vines in an arid central coast location that we’d drive by later that afternoon. Nice character, snappier than most French Aligote. I drink a lot of Aligote. Hipster influence. I’ve been drinking them for 20 years. Elder hipster influence.  

Verdelho from Paicines ranch was a tad reductive. Tropical fruit on the palate. Terah makes Mediterranean white wine varieties in stainless steel. I approve.  

Terah Wine Co. “Orange” Falanghina from barrel was precise, and bone dry. Not overly aromatic yet. Terah racks all her wines off the malo lees, except for the Pinot Noir. 

The 2024 Shake Ridge Ranch Barbera had loads of pretty berry aromas and a light texture. This wine was a real highlight of the lineup. Only 120 cases were made.

The 2024 Grenache from Paicines Ranch was made with 75% whole clusters. It was a really pretty color. Balijjah does gentle pumpovers of her Grenache to start the fermentation, and to provide necessary air. Punch downs are needed at the end of fermentation. The wine has fine dry tannin on a long elegant finish. 

We tasted the Sangiovese again from River’s Edge vineyard. At the winery it was really expressive. Terah de-stems her Sangiovese, and keeps it in 60 gallon barrels of three-year-old oak. It is excellent. 

Terah Wine Co. Syrah/Grenache is fermented with 65% whole clusters. The fruit hails from young vines at Castor Valley Ranch. Elevage occurs in three-year-old puncheon. It smells like a cru Beaujolais or Ardeche Syrah. It smells good. 

The 2023 Terah Wine Co. Aligote is unfined and unfiltered. From Siletto vineyard, the wine is aged in oak barrels. It’s enjoyable. The aromas reminded me of the mineral element in Chablis. 

Balijjah makes 140 cases of a 50/50 Syrah/Grenache rosé. The fruit comes from Paicines Ranch. We’d get there by midafternoon. It is foot-trodden Syrah, direct press, fermented in stainless steel. Faint red berry and orange rind aromas. Lots of citrus. 

Next up was a very chillable 2024 vino rosso. Carbonic Sangiovese from San Benito County. The wine had some tannin and concentration, actually. Multifaceted. 

The 2025 Pinot Noir Sta. Clara Valley Central Coast AVA Besson Ranch vyd. is aged for 18 months. The field is at the foot of the Santa Cruz mountains. Thirty five year old vines. Randall Graham of Bonny Doon used it. It’s a place with hallowed coastal fog in the mornings. Terah ferments her Pinot Noir 100% whole cluster. It has a savory, precise finish, and firm structure. I liked it, which was an issue because I really wasn’t shopping for Pinot Noir. Some wines are too good to ignore. 

The 2023 Syrah/Grenache was stemmy and herbal, with a lot of white pepper spice to it. 

Finally, we tried a 2023 traditional method rosé sparkling wine made from Primitivo grapes. The base wine is barrel aged for five months. Also included in this remarkable wine is 115-year-old Muscat, and 10% Chardonnay from Monterrey county. 

Post tasting. Back on the road, we headed to the Central Coast. Paicines Ranch is a distinctly Californian agricultural environment. Wine has been made in the area since the 19th century. Nearby there are still-productive Muscat vines that were planted in 1876. The area has the second-oldest AVA in California.  

I’ve rarely seen grapes farmed somewhere so dry. Paicines Ranch is a premier example of regenerative agriculture. High trained vines covered the hilltop where we Colden and Kelly, two stewards of this landscape. They claimed that the irrigation system in their vineyard is rarely used. Grazing sheep are a huge part of this agricultural system. Thanks to their labor, the farm doesn’t have to fertilize, sucker, or mow. A little natural compost is applied, that’s it. And the grapes have five points higher brix (a ripeness measurement scale) at harvest than they did before sheep were employed. The area has no powdery mildew issues, thanks to the arid conditions. They use copper sulfur oil, and spray microbes and mineral nutrients to maintain healthy vines. Native flora is left untouched. 

Kelly Mulville is the lead vineyard manager. Colden is the foreman. Mulville said Paicines Ranch undertook a botanical survey at the beginning of their conversion to regenerative agriculture. At that time, 11 native species were present on the farm. Today there are over 100. “They have come in on their own,” he stated. I believe him. After all, Kelly rode to the ridgeline on a mountain bike to show us around. The property is quite steep. His serious sunglasses and alarmingly tanned skin speak of a life working outside.

Thousands of swallows dove in waves above us. I thought they were bats. Kelly said their biodiversity program was so successful that the irrigation system was getting clogged by spider eggs. Yuck.

Among the 1,000 sheep, 200 cattle, and abundant turkeys, Paicines Ranch has 25 acres of vines. In a good year they’ll harvest five tons of grapes per acre. Demand for the fruit is so high that the farm interviews potential recipients, to ensure they use the grapes according to the principles of the place. 

There’s a deep well by the entrance to the farm. Last year they only received seven inches of rain. Nothing. 

We drove northwest from Paicines Ranch, halfway back to San Jose. Gilroy used to be known for growing stone fruit. Today it’s becoming a bedroom community. Grenache thrives in the tail end of the Sta. Cruz mountains. From a bottom of 200 feet, vineyards ride to 1,400+ feet above sea level. We went to the base of a 10,000 acre property, to check out some Pinot Noir and Grenache vines. We were two miles from the peak of Mt. Madonna. Most of this enormous landscape is used for sustainable redwood farming. The area was clear cut in 1905 to rebuild San Francisco. Michael Johnson is the ranch and operation manager of Castro Valley Ranch. He’s an articulate spokesperson for the property’s work plans. The vineyard manager is named Russell. He knew a lot about soil science for a man whose work clothes are clean fitting Levi’s and a plaid longsleeve shirt. Imagine John Fogarty as a young logger. Businesslike, if your business is taming the wilderness. 

The place is windy. We tasted wines near empty-looking farm buildings, big deciduous trees swaying ominously above. The vines here grow in clay/loam soils. They receive 24 inches of rainfall per year, a deluge in comparison to Paicines Ranch. Russell’s goal is to dry farm all the vines on the property. There is artesian spring water underneath it. They are using peas, barley, and mowed down grasses to make a permanent cover crop. Fescues and other deep-rooting native plants are employed to ensure sufficient oxygen in the soil. Humus is the key. 

Head-trained Vermentino is also growing on the farm. It runs contrary to the aims of larger scale agriculture, but vines like these are capable of something extraordinary in California. The market for cheap bulk wine from California is approaching extinction. Maybe it’s already dead. We passed the twice-sold bankrupt Almaden estate on our drive to Paicines. Finding singular character in parts of the state that can make world-class wine is imperative now. Philosophies in the region have changed in the last two decades. Drinkers are open-minded regarding the new California wine, but there are hurdles to be cleared. The story of the state’s vanguard of organic wines needs to be told with clarity, and that’s hard. It’s a big place! Most ambitious winemakers have scattered fruit sources. And that can be a benefit: multiple expressions of terroir from the same cellar. But industrial facsimiles are rampant. Corporate behemoths are swallowing smaller wineries, to burnish their reputations, and hide their identity.

Terah’s winery is young. She worked for big viticulture, and turned away from it. In a small unglamorous corner of the wine universe, she’s making wine that gets us stirred up. Background matters. Specific places are essential. A less-is-more working philosophy takes spine. The result: wines that taste vivid, fun, and real. It's why we started drinking wine in the first place! 

No more boring wine, please. There’s a lot of hum drum soulless vinous landscape on earth, badly farmed, and sad to taste. Get the global beverage solutions logistics companies out of our wine racks. Consign them to history. Banker wine and bulk juice can fade into the past. California is doing better. There are real characters out there, making bottles to dream about.