Fiddlehead Cellars

Kathy Joseph actively wears the hats of proprietor, winemaker, grape herder, number cruncher and marketing maestro.  

She started Fiddlehead Cellars 30 years ago when there were very few women who owned wineries, very few women winemakers, very few people making high-end, quality Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc and very few people interested in the viticultural frontiers of Santa Barbara County and the north Willamette Valley. 

Mentored by five exceptional winemakers on the North Coast and armed with graduate studies from UC, Davis, Kathy took a leap of faith and in 1989 and created a boutique winery to make age-worthy wines of texture, elegance and expression of place.  

Her first vintage went to the White House and her Estate Vineyard, Fiddlestix, is now a mature, quintessential pinot noir paradise in the heart of the extraordinary Sta. Rita Hills. Her Sauvignon blancs, Grüner Veltliner’s and Oregon Pinot’s are equally expressive of their place and touted as having stylish, European grace.

As “Head Fiddle”, Kathy’s is dedicated to sustainable farming and winemaking and she believes her love of winemaking and her infectious spirit must be reflected in every sip.