How it all Started

Our story began in 2007, when John and I met at UC San Diego. We were young, building our careers and figuring out what we wanted our lives to look like. We didn’t know it then, but we were also beginning to build a life together.

John went on to pursue his passion for engineering, specializing in low-power chip design, while I found my way through several chapters of my own—from working in the business side of theatre to becoming an elementary school teacher with a love for science and learning. Our paths have always been different, but we shared the same belief that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.

We married in 2010 and that same year bought our first home in Highland Valley. For both of us, being surrounded by open space and the country felt familiar. We had each grown up with that connection to the land, and we knew we wanted to raise our family somewhere our children could have room to explore, get a little dirty, and simply be kids.

Not long after, our two children came along, and our little family began to take shape.

It was during those early years that the idea of a vineyard first entered our lives.

John would run through Highland Valley most mornings, and on one of those runs he came across a 105-acre property about a mile from our home. He came back talking about the land and what it could someday become. At first, it was just an idea—a dream that seemed a little too big and a little too far away.

But we kept talking about it.

We imagined planting grapes. We imagined building something beautiful. We imagined our children growing up on the property. And somewhere along the way, the dream of owning that land became a dream of creating a winery—a place that would be part of our family, but also a place we could share with other people.

In 2016, that dream became real.

There was no overnight transformation. It took years of planting, learning, building, designing, and figuring things out as we went. We learned about the land, learned about wine, and slowly watched the vision in our heads become something we could actually walk through and touch.

That journey became Mia Marie Vineyards.

Today, this place is deeply personal to us. It is our family’s home, our work, our creative outlet, and a reflection of the life we wanted to build together. We care deeply about the land, the wine we make, and the experience we create for the people who visit.

But more than anything, we want Mia Marie to feel like a place where people can breathe a little deeper and stay a little longer. A place to gather with the people you love, share a bottle of wine, linger around the table, and celebrate the moments that matter.

Because that is what this place has always been about for us.

Family. Land. Community. And creating a life we are grateful to share.