Doug Sparks ’69 walks among the rows of vines in the Suisun Valley with vineyard owner Roger King. Sparks cradles small clusters of young, green grapes and talks about the wines they will become. King chimes in on harvest time and which portions of the vineyards are ready for picking first.
The Suisun Valley sits next to its two more famous cousins, Napa and Sonoma, but Sparks uses grapes from the area for his Sunset Cellars label. He makes value wine sold largely in California wine shops.
"Almost all of our wines retail in California in the $14 to $20 range. You’re never going to see me make a Napa Cabernet. The fruit is just outrageously expensive. I could get Cabernet at cheaper prices, but you know, I push enough peanuts uphill with my nose, I don’t need that."
Sparks is a practical man who spent the first part of his life working in technology in the Silicon Valley. He became something of a liaison and expert on Japan and worked with Japanese businesses while pursuing a doctorate.
Sparks’ small winery produces approximately 2,000 cases a year. But now that he has stepped away from the technology field, with the exception of an occasional consulting job, he hopes to grow the winery even bigger.