Winemaker Kathleen Inman checks fermentation progress in an egg-shaped tank at Inman Family Wines.
Inman Family Wines
Winemaker and winery owner Kathleen Inman refers to herself as a “one woman show;” she is the winemaker, vineyard manager, sales director and owner of Inman Family Wines in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, California. Inman is involved in all aspects of the winery; visitors to the tasting room on her Olivet Grange Vineyard estate may spot her driving a tractor through the vineyards or repositioning vine shoots while they finish up the flight she has just poured for them.
Inman embraced and supported sustainable farming and winemaking long before natural wine became a trend, and she has always been an advocate for and mentor to other women entering the wine industry. She fell in love with Pinot Noir at a tasting seminar while she was a student at UC Santa Barbara and took a job at a Napa Valley winery the summer before her junior year. However, she spent the first 15 years out of college living and working in England, where she was a finance executive and executive headhunter.
In 1998, Inman and her husband Simon—who had met in Napa on her first day working in the winery—moved to her native California in order to look for property on which to start a vineyard and winery. They purchased the Olivet Grange Estate in 1999, and Inman took winemaking classes at UC Davis while preparing the vineyards according to organic and sustainable practices. She produced the first vintage of Inman Family Wines in 2002.
Olivet Grange Vineyard at Inman Family Wines in the Russian River Valley.
Inman Family Wines
Today Inman Family Wines makes about 50,000 bottles each year. Sixty percent of that is dry, still Pinot Noir. Endless Crush Rosé of Pinot Noir accounts for 20% of production, while another 10% is sparkling wine. She also makes small amounts of Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. The vast majority of Inman Family Wines is sold direct to consumer either via tasting room visits, wine club, or website.
As we continue to showcase women in the world of wine for women’s month, we spoke with Kathleen Inman about her path to success in the wine industry.
World Wine Guys: What was your path to becoming a winemaker and winery owner?
Kathleen Inman: I was raised in Napa. My great-grandparents owned a farm on Monticello Road, and gardening with my grandmother as well as my father piqued my interest in growing things at a young age. My interest in wine blossomed after taking a series of wine tasting seminars while at university in Santa Barbara and subsequently working at a winery the summer before graduating. I solidified my journey to becoming a winemaker when I left my career as a headhunter at a large UK executive search firm in 1998. With my family, I packed up and moved from England back to California to pursue my passion of growing and producing Pinot Noir. We purchased this land in 1999 and then planted the 10.5-acre Olivet Grange Vineyard in 2000.
Kathleen Inman in the tasting room at Inman Family Wines.
Inman Family Wines
WWG: Have you seen the path to opportunity for women change since your entry into the wine industry?
KI: The industry is much more inclusive than it once was, but we still have a long way to go. Not only for women but for people of color too. I’ve noticed that people are less surprised to find out that I’m the winemaker, and not my husband, than they were 10 years ago. But I think we’ll know we’ve reached a good place in the industry when article headlines don’t need to point out that I’m one of the “women winemakers.” I do not want to be judged as a woman in my field, but as a person in my field.
WWG: How have you mentored and advocated for other women in the wine industry?
KI:Mentoring and creating opportunities for other women is very important to me. It has been wonderful seeing women I mentored start their own brands or move on to production roles at other wineries. I think leading by example is the way to change that prejudice and culture to ensure more women do succeed in senior positions in our industry and in others.
Bottles of Inman Family Wines including Endless Crush Rosé, Pinot Noir, and sparkling.
Inman Family Wines
WWG: While you were a student, you took an interest in Pinot Noir, which led you to your current career. What is it about this variety that intrigued you?
KI: My path to my current career was one with many twists and turns, and although Pinot Noir and Riesling were favorite varieties from my early days of learning about wine while an undergraduate student, I never imagined that I’d one day make Pinot Noir at my own winery! Nevertheless, Pinot Noir is intriguing, and I love the many guises it takes. I love it as a classic red wine for its elegance, the savory notes along with the fruit, the perfume and the way it reflects the place that it is grown in such a transparent manner. I love Pinot Noir as a rosé, where the bright flavors and beautiful textures make for complex rosés when made in a direct-to-press, intentional manner. But, most of all, I love Pinot Noir when it is made into sparkling wines via Méthode Champenoise.
Inman Family Wines winery and tasting room in the Olivet Grange Vineyard.
Inman Family Wines
WWG: How has Covid-19 affected your business operations, sales, and distribution?
KI: We’re still here and going strong. With the pandemic I was able to pivot quickly to conducting tastings virtually and these have really taken off. Our corporate tastings for businesses that would usually travel to wine and dine clients or their networks have been extremely popular. We’re able to bring wine country to them, no matter where they are in the country. Our customers have also been amazing during this year. While many from around the country haven’t been able to visit, they have been joining me for virtual tastings over Zoom and it has been a fun experience meeting their pets and seeing them enjoy our wines from their living rooms with friends. In many ways we’ve been able to connect on a fun new level I never would have expected.