Doug Margerum has been intimately involved in both food and wine for over 30 years in the Santa Barbara region, which has made him one of the pioneers in the industry. Upon his graduation from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1981, his family purchased WINE CASK. In 1994 the WINE CASK became one of 74 restaurants in the world to earn the Wine Spectator Grand Award. Doug sold the WINE CASK in 2007 and it re-opened in 2009 with partners Anda Ashkar and Mitchell Sjerven.

Doug launched the WINE CASK futures program in 1984 in Santa Barbara, which elevated the exposure of Santa Barbara Wine Country nationally. Doug owned VITA NOVA with Bob Lindquist (Qupé) and Jim Clendenen (Au Bon Climat) from 1986 to 1998. Margerum Wine Company began in a tiny 240 square foot cold room behind Brander Vineyards in 2001. The philosophy: return wine making to its previous form of production – handcrafted and personal.

Margerum Wine Company produces limited quantities of wines made from grapes grown at the top vineyards from around Santa Barbara County. The wines are now made at their state-of-the-art winery located on Industrial Way in Buellton. Margerum carefully selects the vineyards with meticulous attention to detail in all factors influencing the ultimate quality of the wines, including pruning, soil, climate, and farming methods.

Margerum primarily produces M5 (a Rhône varietal red blend), single vineyard Syrahs, a co fermented Syrah called ÜBER, SYBARITE Sauvignon Blanc, RIVIERA Rose and KLICKITAT Pinot Gris. Doug works with the top vineyards from the warm, eastern end of the valley in Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara to the cool vineyards of Sta. Rita Hills towards the western end of the valley.

Two new wines have been recently been added to the repertoire. BARDEN wines – an exploration of cold climate grapes grown in and around the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. BARDEN is Doug’s middle name and its English meaning is “Lives near the boar’s den”… thusly they have adorned the label with an image of the wild boar that is pervasive in the area’s vineyards.

And…Rancheria Cellars, wines that have been produced in limited quantities from a specific terroir. The Spanish word Rancheria refers to a small, rural settlement. In these communities, collaboration, support and communication were vital to the success of all as great wine is always a group effort.

Doug has also partnered with Jamie and Julie Kellner to produce CENT’ANNI wines. They specialize in three wines – a crisp dry white blend of Tocai Friulano, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Bianco called Buoni Anni Bianco, a classic old-world Sangiovese called Buoni Anni, and a Riserva Sangiovese (three years in puncheons) called Cent’Anni red label.