What is Solminer?

Sol-miner as in mining the “Sun” which in turn nourishes the soul. The name inspires us to discover and unearth the treasures in the soils of the California Central Coast. Our decisions have always been personal (not commercial) and involve what we call “conscious farming”. As we learn about our little piece of earth and our place in it, the picture begins to widen. We’ve incorporated chickens, grazing sheep, the lunar calendar, biodynamic compost, preparations and teas all to support the microorganisms in the dirt and health of the vineyard. We have a feeling of connectedness as each trip around the sun gives us the chance to experience the magical process of exchange from the dirt, plants, fruit, wine, humans, sky, moon, sun and stars.

Two people holding baby lambs, with an adult sheep standing to the left.

Anna & David deLaski

Farming winemakers

The first seed was planted meeting in 2009 and falling in love with Santa Barbara wine country and each other. We married soon after and while visiting Anna’s family in Austria, a desire to settle down and create a life together in a more agricultural setting started to take root. A chance meeting with a winemaking mentor and a property for sale with vines in the front yard grew into something we could no longer ignore. We went “all in” and decided to buy a fixer farmhouse and vineyard in Los Olivos and call the fruits of our labor of love “Solminer”.

Estate deLanda Farm and Vineyard

Certified Regenerative Organic and Biodynamic

We named our home vineyard “deLanda” a combination of our first and last names. It reflects our personal desire to produce natural wines using varietals related to our Austrian heritage. First certified organic in 2014, Biodynamic in 2018 and ROC Regenerative Organic in 2021, deLanda is evolving as we evolve as farmers. Ultimately it shines with individuality and biodiversity as we incorporate chickens, donkeys, sheep, bees, fruit trees, native plants, biodynamic compost, preparations and herb teas all to support the microorganisms in the dirt and health of the vineyard.

Austrian Inspired Natural wines

Wines reflect the place

Our personal desire is to reflect the vineyard in the wine and experiment with Austrian varietals. Since the beginning, we thought Grüner Veltliner would do well here and soon after we discovered that the Austrian red grape, Blaufränkisch, is perfect for our climate as well. We’ve rounded things out with a bit of Muscat to create an Austrian inspired dry “Muskateller” and some Syrah for Rose, Sparkling Syrah, a blend and a single vineyard Syrah. We also have new plantings of Riesling to add to our sources from neighboring vineyards that we have selected for their climate, soils and sustainable growing practices. About 2000 cases are produced each year

 

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