Posts by Joy Sterling

A Sonoma sparkling wine tasting is not simply a regular wine tasting with bubbles. It’s a feeling. There is a sense of lightness, anticipation, even a little celebration built into the experience from the moment the cork pops. The wines are different, the questions are different, and, happily, the experience has a rhythm all its…

On Monday, August 25, our cellar master Rigo set the last bin of the vintage on the scale — bin number 1,034. One thousand and thirty-four bins, each one picked by hand, lifted overhead, and delivered to the tractor. Our fiftieth harvest is in — and Rigo was caught dancing on the crush pad. He…

Every vintage is a story written by nature. Harvest is the dénouement. The wine is how we tell it. On July 27, the story of 2026 began to reveal itself. We started at first light with Pinot Noir, bins moving at a run. The fruit tastes delicious. We loaded it into the de-stemmer and pumped…

Sparkling wine has always belonged to weddings. It is the wine of optimism, of celebration, of hope for the future. At Iron Horse, that feels especially true. We are there for the toast that follows “I do,” for the laughter of family and friends gathered around, for the champagne towers and the first clink of…

The big news from an Earth Day tour of our creek restoration: Approximately 900 juvenile coho counted this spring. On a gorgeous day at Iron Horse along Green Valley Creek, with the rain graciously holding off until nightfall, it felt like a deeply validating measure of what the creek restoration is already beginning to achieve.…

  Innovation in the Vineyard: Connectivity, AI, and the Future of Winegrowing at Iron Horse When asked whether we are innovators, I am quick to raise my hand for Iron Horse. We’re at the forefront of innovation in the vineyard, and honored to receive the  CENIC AIR (AI Resources) Pioneering Contributions Award in recognition of…

It was 1976. The year Audrey and Barry Sterling discovered a magical place called Iron Horse. Tucked into the cool, foggy hills of western Sonoma County, the property offered everything they had been searching for. From that vantage point, they recognized its extraordinary potential and began building Iron Horse Vineyards – a journey that now…

 As we step into 2026, I’m filled with equal parts gratitude and amazement. This year brings a rare convergence for my family and for Iron Horse: our 50th Anniversary, America’s 250th, my mother and Iron Horse co-founder Audrey Sterling’s 95th birthday, our winemaker David Munksgard’s 30th vintage at Iron Horse, and, very auspiciously, the Year…

December in the Vineyard … and what’s coming as we head into our 50th year! We’re in the heart of the holiday season, and hanging mistletoe is one of my favorite traditions. A simple invitation to pause and share a moment of affection and joy, laughter, and definitely kissing. We’re fortunate to have an abundance…

I’m thrilled to share what feels like a defining moment for Iron Horse Vineyards — the transformation taking shape along Green Valley Creek as part of our Coho salmon habitat restoration project. After eight years of planning and permitting, we’re seeing our vision come to life: gently returning the land to what nature intended, restoring…

Innovation • Stewardship • Resilience What looked like a scene out of Iwo Jima was the installation of a fire-watch mast at Iron Horse. Three pairs of steady hands hoisted four state-of-the-art thermal cameras into place on the winery roof, transforming our panoramic view from simply breathtaking into a safeguard for our community. This system…

Text One Person This Week What a lovely idea, to just invite someone over. It takes very little. Text one person and open a bottle of sparkling wine. The only real question is what to put out to eat. Here are seven fall snacks to serve with bubbles, sparkling wine, or Champagne. They are all…