The idea for Verdad Wine Cellars started when Louisa first visited Napa Valley in 1987. She was working for a Long Island Winery and was exploring the wineries of Napa. She was taken by the Spanish history in California and began to wonder why there were no wines to be found that were made from Spanish wine varietals.

A couple of years later she became enamored with Spanish wines while working at a prominent wine shop on Long Island. She was able to taste and learn about these wines on a new level and became a huge fan. She became particularly enamored with Albariño wines from Rias Biaxes with their vibrant fresh flavors, and the bold and complex Tempranillo-based wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

In 1990 she moved to San Francisco to work with a wine importer and distributor. In 1994 she began dating -– and later married – Bob Lindquist, a well-known California winemaker who inspired and encouraged Louisa to follow her dream of making wine from Spanish grape varieties. From this Verdad was born.

The first wines made at Verdad Wine Cellars were the 2000 vintage Albariño from the Ibarra-Young Vineyard and Rosé made from Ibarra-Young Tempranillo and Alisos Vineyard Grenache. The first Tempranillo was made in 2001 from the Ibarra-Young Vineyard.

Louisa and Bob are partners in Verdad. Although it originally was her dream, concept, and vision to create wines using Spanish grape varietals grown in California, Bob shared her vision and helped make it happen. He taught and guided her about how to make the wines that she hoped for. The first vintages of Verdad were made with Bob’s winemaking skill and Louise’s vision of style. Over the years, with experience and working with the same vineyards from year to year, Louisa has taken over the winemaking. She and her husband also have a label, Sawyer Lindquist, on which they collaborate.

From the beginning, they decided to farm the vineyard using biodynamic techniques. Their decision was based, in part, on conversations about the techniques with friends and colleagues who used them both in California and in Europe. The Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard was Demeter-certified Biodynamic in 2009, as was the winemaking. The Verdad wines are made at the Clendenen Lindquist Winery in Santa Maria.