lake cty CA cabs

[Bucko]

After coming to the United Stated in 1989 to help a friend successfully "fix" a poorly made wine, Gerald returned to the United States several times, meeting Shirley on one of his visits. 1990 he was here to stay and he and Shirley were married in 1993. Most recently Gerald has been a consultant wine winemaker in the Paso Robles, Monterey and Napa wine regions.
Upon deciding to own and operate their own winery, the Ployez's explored the Napa and Sonoma areas, but fell in love with Lake County and found the Stuermer Winery for sale. Reflecting on their move, Gerald says, "We feel comfortable here, everyone is friendly and helpful. I see a lot of parallels between Lake County and the traditional spirit of winemaking from my old country".
Since moving to Lake County in August 1997 and purchasing the winery in September, the Ployez's already have wine in the tanks and have turned part of the winery into their home. "This is very much a family affair" , says Shirley, whose mother even moved here from the Bay Area recently to help with the business. The relaxed, family style environment is evident in the tasting room which is open 7 days a week.