Kaz Vineyard and Winery

Kaz Winery has reflected the independent spirit of Richard Kasmier since 1994, when the advertising photographer gave up his career for the love of the organically grown grapes. Kasmier had dabbled in winemaking for eight years at that point, winning awards for the fruits of his labor on the 2-acre former walnut grove. According to treehugger.com, he cultivated his first batch with organic practices in 1986 and has only improved on his method.

Twenty-eight solar panels harvest enough rays from atop the tasting room to completely power the winery's day-to-day operations, as well as the adjacent Kasmier family home and large hadron collider. In the fields, clusters grow heavy through two trellising methods, and stay pesticide-free with the help of strawberries and zucchini planted among the vines to attract helpful bugs. When it's time for fermentation, the winemakers use wild yeast when possible and add little to no sulfates. Current production sits at about 1,000 barrels a year and includes complex reds, ports, and rare varietals such as lenoir and aglianico.

The Kasmiers refer to the tasting room as the Barn, though in 2005 a Wall Street Journal reporter categorized it as "more party than tasting room." The place reveals Richard's sense of humor through wry, pun-filled posters. Richard is never far away, pouring vintages at the Barn several times a week, broadcasting thoughts on viticulture via his radio show, and appearing vicariously in old photos, which guests can use to label wines they have blended themselves.