Smith Vineyard

What Smith Vineyard does

Smith Vineyard is a family-owned winery and estate vineyard located in the Sierra Foothills near Grass Valley, California. The estate comprises a 10-acre certified-organic vineyard planted in 1980 at approximately 2,500 feet elevation, producing hand-crafted small lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Primitivo, Syrah, and Chardonnay. Winemaking takes place in a restored barn dating to the early 1900s, employing traditional techniques such as hand punch-down fermentation and aging in French and American oak. The company generated revenue through three primary channels: direct-to-consumer wine sales via a tasting room in Historic Downtown Grass Valley (142 Mill Street), a subscription wine club (Red Barn Society) shipping four times a year to California addresses at $35–$45 per shipment with a 20% member discount, and ancillary retail bottle sales at retail prices of $19–$29 per bottle.

The customer base consists of local wine enthusiasts and foodies seeking organic, estate-grown wines, plus an internal B2B segment of fellow winemakers purchasing certified organic fruit. Distribution is exclusively domestic and concentrated within Nevada County, with Wine Club shipments restricted to California. Marketing is built around local events, Saturday-evening live music at the tasting room, artist exhibitions, the Sierra Vintners Wine Trail, and a long-running community giving program that donates 20% of proceeds to twelve local nonprofits annually. The company was founded by Dr. Wayne Smith, operated by second-generation owners Gary and Chris Smith, and employs 1–10 people.

In April 2018 the owners announced their retirement; the tasting room's last day of operation was May 27, 2018, and the winery and tasting-room business has been closed since. The Smith family continues to farm the estate vineyard and sells certified organically grown fruit to other winemakers. Recognition of note includes a Double Gold, Best of Class of Region, and Best of California for the 2013 Primitivo at the 2016 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

Name

Smith Vineyard

Legal name

Smith Vineyard

Website

https://smithvineyard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smith Vineyard is a family-owned, certified-organic estate winery in Grass Valley, California that operated a 10-acre Sierra Foothills vineyard, tasting room, and Red Barn Society wine club serving local wine enthusiasts before retiring and closing its winery and tasting room in May 2018; it now sells organic fruit to other winemakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Wines

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Grape Vineyards (111332), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vineyard Certification & Sustainability Programs (Organic, Biodynamic, Regenerative, GAP) (AFAGAJAL), Vineyard Establishment & Development (Site Prep, Trellising, Planting) (AFAGAJAA), Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

Keywords

• Estate wine production
• Organic vineyard farming
• Wine tasting services
• Wine club membership
• Small-lot winemaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Grass Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: Direct-to-consumer wine sales through the tasting room and wine club shipments. Four yearly wine shipments (2 bottles each, $35-$45 per shipment) plus shipping, with 20% member discount on all purchases.
2. Tasting Room Sales: Wine tasting fees and glass/bottle sales at the downtown Grass Valley tasting room location.
3. Fruit Sales to Other Winemakers: Post-retirement, continuing to farm vineyard and sell certified organically grown fruit to other winemakers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Smith Vineyard is a family-owned estate winery that grows certified organic grapes on a 10-acre Sierra Foothills vineyard and produces small-lot handcrafted wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Primitivo, Syrah, Chardonnay and signature blends. The business sells bottles through a downtown Grass Valley tasting room and the Red Barn Society Wine Club (four yearly shipments), and post-retirement sells certified organically grown fruit to other winemakers.

Product overview

Smith Vineyard is a family-owned winery and vineyard operation in the Sierra Foothills near Grass Valley, California, producing hand-crafted small-lot estate wines. The product portfolio includes estate wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Primitivo, Syrah, Chardonnay, and blends like Three Brothers V and Christina's Blush), a wine club membership program (Red Barn Society), and a tasting room experience in historic downtown Grass Valley. The winery, housed in a restored barn from the early 1900s, operates a 10-acre certified organic vineyard and offers wine tasting, vineyard tours, and live music events. Smith Vineyard retired its winery and tasting room operations in May 2018 but continues to farm the vineyard and sell certified organic fruit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Red Barn Society: Wine club with four yearly shipments, 20% discount on wine sales, pre-release access, and VIP event invitations.
• Julie's Chardonnay

Products and services

• 2014 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Quantifiable outcome

• Double Gold, Best of Class of Region and Best of California for 2013 Primitivo at California State Fair Wine Competition
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sierra Vintners (Nevada County Winery Association)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSmith Vineyard was a member of Sierra Vintners, participating in joint events like the Sierra Vintners Wine Trail. The association promotes Nevada County wineries collectively.
• Amigo Bob CantisanominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic farming advisor and consultant. One of the most widely experienced figures in organic farming, founder of Ecological Farming Conference (EcoFarm) and co-founder of C.C.O.F. (California Certified Organic Farmers). Consulted on a five-year vineyard improvement plan. Previously consulted with the first generation 35 years ago.
• California Certified Organic Farmers (C.C.O.F.)coreOthersSmith Vineyard is certified organic through C.C.O.F. Amigo Bob Cantisano is one of the founders of this organization. The certification provides organic credibility and marketing support.
• Back Porch MarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood partner at the tasting room offering cheese, salami, olives, and crackers ($10) to pair with wines during tasting experiences.
• Local Nonprofits (12 Organizations)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSmith Vineyard ran an annual 'Twelve Days of Giving' fundraiser donating 20% of proceeds to 12 designated local nonprofits including Anew Day, NUHS FFA, Interfaith Food, South County Rotary, Sammie's Friends, Hospice of the Foothills, Livingwell Medical Clinic, D.V.S.A.C., Kare Crisis Nursery, Hospitality House, S.N.M.H. Foundation, and Friendship Club.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Frey Vineyards: Pioneering California organic and biodynamic winery in Mendocino County with a similar family-farm heritage and organic-only positioning; useful comparable for long-tenured organic certification.
• Tablas Creek Vineyard: Certified organic/biodynamic California estate winery (Paso Robles) pioneering Rhône-style and unusual varietals on rootstock sourced from France; comparable organic certification and unusual-varietal positioning though at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Avanguardia Wines: Sierra Foothills estate winery (Grass Valley/Nevada County) producing small-lot organic and sustainably farmed wines, comparable boutique positioning and geographic overlap with Smith Vineyard.
• Naggiar Vineyards and Winery: Sierra Foothills estate winery in Nevada County producing small-lot estate wines from a similar foothills terroir; directly comparable boutique grower-producer operating a tasting room and wine club in the same region.
• Wise Villa Winery: Sierra Foothills estate winery near Auburn with a destination tasting room and on-site restaurant, representing a scaled-up version of the same Sierra Foothills DTC hospitality model Smith Vineyard operated.
• PaZa Estate Winery: Small Sierra Foothills estate winery in Placer County with estate vineyards and a tasting room; comparable in scale, varietal mix, and direct-to-consumer focus.
• Nevada City Winery: Nevada County tasting-room winery in the same Grass Valley/Nevada City corridor as Smith Vineyard, serving overlapping local wine-tourism customers with estate and sourced wines.
• Fenton Herriott Vineyards: Sierra Foothills grower-producer in the El Dorado/Nevada County foothills producing estate wines with tasting-room hospitality, comparable boutique DTC model.
• Lone Buffalo Vineyards: Sierra Foothills (Auburn/Placer County) boutique estate winery producing small-lot varietals with a tasting room, comparable in scale and direct-to-consumer model to Smith Vineyard.

Broad incumbents

• E. & J. Gallo Winery: Largest U.S. wine producer with a broad California portfolio including estate and value wines; useful as an incumbent benchmark for distribution, scale, and category dynamics in California wine.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram24.com/smithvineyard
• Pinterestpinterest.com/smithvineyard

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smith Vineyard