Barry Gnekow is the award-winning winemaker for Calistoga Cellars. Barry’s credentials are impeccable and his successes many. Having grown up in a winemaking family business, he was exposed early on to good and bad lots of wine and was able to use his God-given nose and pallet to hone his blending skills early in his career. He obtained his Bachelors Degree in Biochemistry and his Masters Degree in Enology from University of California at Davis. Barry’s education, background and talent along with the high quality of the Calistoga Cellars grapes have allowed for Barry to maintain a high level of quality and consistency in the wines since his first vintage in 2000. Barry is very practical when it comes to making wine. To Barry, it is all about taste and allowing the consumer to have a very pleasant experience. He is not content to just let the place (the vineyard location) dictate the total experience. He likes to use all of his talent and knowledge to make the best wines possible.
A few of Barry’s successes include overhauling the winemaking program at J. Lohr Vineyards and wines in Paso Robles, and working with Hahn Estates to improve their wines.
At J. Lohr in the 1980’s, Barry was not only responsible for a complete “re-make” of the J. Lohr wines; he also created the non-alcohol wine under the “Ariel” label. When the wines of Hahn Estates in 2000 needed a makeover, the President of the Company turned to Barry to solve the problem. Soon its wines had substantially improved and sales of a newly created second label skyrocketed to 1 million cases. Involved with Calistoga Cellars at its very beginning, and also a partner in the winery, Barry continues as its winemaker today. The winery through Barry has won many awards, high ratings and favorable industry articles as it continues on an accelerated growth to establish a national brand.
Barry’s second love after winemaking is surfing. After harvest and at different times in the winter, he usually heads off to some exotic spot where the waves are high and the days are long.