Ursa Vineyards
Ursa Vineyards is a small, family-run winery founded in 2001 in Placerville, California, producing traditional-style wines — notably Basque-inspired Tannat blends — and selling them direct-to-consumer via two tasting rooms, a WineDirect e-commerce site, a wine club, and wholesale through Monterey Bay Wine Company.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersPlacerville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ursa Vineyards does
Ursa Vineyards is a small, privately-held winery founded in 2001 and operated by husband-and-wife team Greg Stokes and Deborah Elissagaray in Placerville, California. The company produces wines using traditional, low-intervention winemaking methods intended to express grape varietal character and Sierra Foothills regional terroir, with a portfolio distinguished by a Basque-inspired blend anchored on the Tannat grape — a varietal choice rooted in co-founder Elissagaray's family heritage in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France.
The business operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model anchored on two tasting room locations (the Placerville, CA headquarters and a hosted tasting room at Bending Branch Winery in Comfort, TX), an e-commerce storefront powered by WineDirect, and a wine club membership program offering 20% discounts, exclusive events, and VIP tastings. A secondary wholesale channel is managed through Monterey Bay Wine Company for retail and restaurant distribution. Pricing is not publicly disclosed beyond the wine club discount structure, and all visits are by appointment.
With 1-10 employees (effectively the two founders plus minimal support), the company is a lifestyle-scale artisanal producer. It carries no external investment, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed revenue, and its sole major public recognition is the "Best of El Dorado County Winemaker" designation received in 2017. The operating model leans on founder expertise, regional reputation, and the unique Basque/Tannat positioning as primary differentiators rather than scale, technology, or distribution breadth.
Ursa Vineyards firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ursa Vineyards
- Legal name
- Ursa Vineyards
- Website
- https://ursavineyards.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ursa Vineyards is a small, family-run winery founded in 2001 in Placerville, California, producing traditional-style wines — notably Basque-inspired Tannat blends — and selling them direct-to-consumer via two tasting rooms, a WineDirect e-commerce site, a wine club, and wholesale through Monterey Bay Wine Company.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ursa Vineyards industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Winery / Artisanal Wine Production
- NAICS
- Wineries (312130), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)
Keywords
Where Ursa Vineyards is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Placerville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ursa Vineyards business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct Wine Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of wines through tasting rooms and e-commerce platform, offering wines at various price points with wine club membership benefits including 20% discounts.
- Wine Club Membership: Recurring membership providing 20% discount on all wines, exclusive event invitations, complimentary tastings, and VIP treatment at the winery.
- Tasting Room Experiences: Private tasting and tour experiences by appointment at tasting rooms in California and Texas.
- Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale inquiries and orders handled through Monterey Bay Wine Company.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Wine Club Membership - 20% discount with exclusive benefits |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Ursa Vineyards product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ursa Vineyards is a small, family-owned winery that produces and sells traditional, terroir-driven wines — including a Basque-inspired Tannat blend — from its Sierra Foothills estate in Placerville, California. It monetizes through direct-to-consumer wine sales via its WineDirect e-commerce site, a recurring Wine Club membership offering 20% off and VIP perks, and private by-appointment tasting and tour experiences at its California and Texas tasting rooms, with minor wholesale handled by Monterey Bay Wine Company.
Product overview
Ursa Vineyards is a small, husband-and-wife operated winery founded in 2001, producing traditional-style wines from the Sierra Foothills region. The company's product portfolio centers on wine sales (core product), supplemented by a Wine Club membership program offering discounts and VIP perks, and wine tasting experiences at their California and Texas tasting rooms. The winery is particularly noted for Basque-style wines including a Tannat-based blend inspired by the founders' French heritage.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ursa Vineyards Wines Artisanal, traditionally made wines (including a Basque-style Tannat blend) crafted with minimal intervention to express Sierra Foothills terroir; sold bottled to individual consumers via the winery's own e-commerce store and through tasting rooms.
- Ursa Wine Club Membership Recurring membership program giving members 20% off all wines, exclusive event invitations, complimentary tastings, and VIP treatment at the winery.
- Wine Tasting Experiences Private, by-appointment wine tasting and facility tour experiences at the Placerville, CA estate tasting room and at the Comfort, TX tasting room (operated in partnership with Bending Branch Winery).
Quantifiable outcome
- Named 'Best of El Dorado County Winemaker' 2017
Companies that use Ursa Vineyards
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ursa Vineyards technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ursa Vineyards partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Bending Branch WineryminorBending Branch Winery hosts the Ursa Vineyards Texas tasting room at their location in Comfort, TX. The partnership allows Ursa to serve customers visiting Texas Hill Country. Tastings are available Thursday through Monday at 142 Lindner Branch Trail, Comfort TX.
- Monterey Bay Wine CompanyminorMonterey Bay Wine Company handles wholesale inquiries and orders for Ursa Vineyards, managing bulk distribution to retail and restaurant partners.
- WineDirectcoreWineDirect provides the e-commerce platform powering Ursa Vineyards' online store, including shopping cart functionality, checkout, and wine shipping logistics.
Scale indicators2 records
Ursa Vineyards competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Miraflores Winery: Placerville, CA Sierra Foothills winery with tasting room, wine club, and estate production. Operates in the same hyper-local competitive set as Ursa with overlapping customer base in El Dorado County.
- Cedarville Vineyard: Small producer in the Sierra Foothills focusing on estate Rhône-style and traditional-method wines with DTC sales. Mirrors Ursa's small-batch, minimal-intervention winemaking philosophy and varietal palette.
- Bending Branch Winery: Family-owned Texas Hill Country winery that hosts Ursa's Comfort, TX tasting room under a partnership. Operates a comparable small-scale DTC model with on-site tastings, wine club, and limited distribution, making it the closest operating peer.
- Boeger Winery: Family-run Placerville, CA winery in the Sierra Foothills producing estate wines with a tasting room and wine club. Same-region, same DTC, same small-production positioning, and similar focus on traditional winemaking and varietal expression.
- Tablas Creek Vineyard: Paso Robles estate winery focused on Rhône and select Iberian/Basque-inspired varietals with strong DTC and wine-club channels. Comparable to Ursa in its emphasis on traditional, terroir-driven Rhône/Basque blends and direct consumer relationships.
- Charles B. Mitchell Vineyards: Small family winery based in Fair Play, CA in El Dorado County with a tasting room and direct-to-consumer sales. Directly comparable in scale, regional location, and DTC-oriented business model.
- Bella Grace Vineyards: Small family-owned Sierra Foothills winery with estate vineyard, tasting room, and wine club. Highly comparable in size, family-run operation, and DTC-first model serving the same regional wine tourist demographic.
- Lava Cap Winery: Family-owned winery located in Placerville, CA in the Sierra Foothills / El Dorado County region. Operates a tasting room and wine club with a similar small-production, estate-focused DTC model directly competing in the same geographic corridor.
- Carol Shelton Wines: Small artisan California winery with multiple tasting rooms and a wine club, specializing in single-vineyard and Rhône/Zinfandel bottlings. Closely comparable to Ursa in scale, DTC emphasis, and small-production varietal positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Niner Wine Estates: Larger, established Central Coast winery with strong DTC tasting-room footprint and wine club. Operates a broader portfolio and bigger production scale than Ursa but competes for similar DTC wine-tourist dollars in California.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ursa Vineyards social profiles
Digital presenceUrsa Vineyards financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ursa Vineyards leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Ursa Vineyards funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ursa Vineyards M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ursa Vineyards
What does Ursa Vineyards do?
Ursa Vineyards is a small, family-owned winery that produces and sells traditional, terroir-driven wines — including a Basque-inspired Tannat blend — from its Sierra Foothills estate in Placerville, California. It monetizes through direct-to-consumer wine sales via its WineDirect e-commerce site, a recurring Wine Club membership offering 20% off and VIP perks, and private by-appointment tasting and tour experiences at its California and Texas tasting rooms, with minor wholesale handled by Monterey Bay Wine Company.
Is Ursa Vineyards a public or private company?
Ursa Vineyards is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Ursa Vineyards founded?
Ursa Vineyards was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ursa Vineyards based?
Ursa Vineyards is headquartered in Placerville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ursa Vineyards make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct Wine Sales are the primary driver. The others are wine Club Membership, tasting Room Experiences and wholesale Distribution.
Who are Ursa Vineyards's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Miraflores Winery, Cedarville Vineyard, Bending Branch Winery, Boeger Winery, Tablas Creek Vineyard, Charles B. Mitchell Vineyards, Bella Grace Vineyards, Lava Cap Winery and Carol Shelton Wines. Niner Wine Estates is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Ursa Vineyards have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ursa Vineyards.
What industry is Ursa Vineyards in?
Ursa Vineyards's product category is Winery / Artisanal Wine Production. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAIAB, Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands, with a secondary code of THAFALAE, Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms). Its NAICS code is 312130 and its SIC code is 5180.