Andy started Peay Vineyards with his older brother, Nick, with the goal of making wines that capture a purity and unique sense of place like the great wines they enjoy drinking from Europe. To that end, the brothers decided it was critical for them to own and farm grapes in a climate much cooler than they had experienced in the U.S. In 1996, they purchased an old sheep ranch on a ridge overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the extreme West Sonoma Coast near Annapolis - where folks said it was too cold, wet and windy to ripen wine grapes - and were the first to plant the region in 1998. 

They were joined in 2001 by Vanessa Wong, former winemaker at Peter Michael, who started her career with stints at Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Domaine Jean Gros. This allowed Nick to focus on farming the 53-acre organic vineyard and Andy to manage sales and marketing. They have been very fortunate to be able to make wines of finesse and intensity that capture the character of their estate vineyard as well as the attention of wine lovers around the world. Their wines can be found at the world’s finest restaurants and is the 8th most frequent American wine on Michelin-starred restaurants, and 3rd for Pinot Noir, alone. 

Previous to starting Peay, Andy worked as a strategy consultant and in finance. He has an M.B.A from Haas School at UC Berkeley and a B.A. in Literature from Dartmouth College. He also sits on the boards of Saverlife, a non-profit fintech based in San Francisco and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland and is one of the founders of The West Sonoma Coast Vintners and the Sustainable Food Initiative at U.C. Berkeley, Haas.

PARTICIPATING EVENTS:

Opening Night Reception