About Aver Family Vineyards

Aver Family Vineyards is truly a family affair. We began this venture in 2005, when we were fortunate to find a magical 8.25-acre vineyard nestled in the beautiful Uvas Valley, at the southern edge of Santa Clara Valley, just south of the Silicon Valley in northern California. “Uvas” was originally named by the Spaniards for the wild grapes that thrived in the area.

Our south-west facing vineyard on the Valley’s eastern slopes was originally planted to Petite Sirah, Cabernet and Syrah. We’ve since added Grenache and Mourvèdre, varieties that should thrive here at this premium site for rich, ripe flavor development, and will add depth and character to our wines. 

We approached our new responsibilities with respect and love for the land, and have embraced the hard work and endless toil of farming much as did the early European settlers well over a century ago, and the padres before them, who planted Mission grapes here in the 18th century, seeking to establish “New Spain.”

More often than not, John can be found in the vineyard, tending to the vines with the same devotion our winemaker, Kian Tavakoli, pays to our wines in the barrel. Our venture is a combination of synergy and history, of perspiration and inspiration.

While we have no Mission grapes on our estate, we do have a mission: to create wines you are as proud to serve your circle of family and friends as we are to serve to ours. We would like nothing more than to join those families into the ever-growing circle we call The Aver Family. We’d be honored to have you among them.

 

Aver Family Vineyards Winemaker

Kian Tavakoli, the Aver Family Vineyards winemaker, was most recently at Clos Du Val where he ran their red wine program – including their highly-acclaimed reserve bottling. Before joining Clos Du Val in 1996, Kian spent four years learning Cabernet Sauvignon winemaking at Opus One. With extensive winemaking, operations and viticultural experience, Kian has a wealth of sensory and production skills.

When Kian is not making Aver Family wines, he loves spending time with his wife and growing family!

 

Growing green

While many California vineyard owners have considered sustainable, organic, and biodynamic farming, we embraced the concept since the day we bought the vineyard.  Our focus is to naturally maximize the potential of every grape, and for us that means employing bio-diverse and earth-friendly farming practices.

After buying our property, we evaluated the vineyard and in particular how best to keep the soil healthy and vibrant.  We committed to a no-pesticide approach, and completely re-designed the vineyard including budding over vines and adding native plant species to create a bio-diverse environment.

Although it requires more work and generally adds to the farming expense, we believe that by going “green” we are not only re-connecting to the land and supporting the community, but making better-quality, more unique wines