Exploring Life & Business with Stephen Hemmert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Hemmert.

Hi Stephen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started making wine in 1997 for home consumption and then professionally in 2009 at a local winery in Agua Dulce. As I started my own label, I made wine with the owner of a local French Restaurant in Agua Dulce for his wine list. The wines I made at the local winery was under a custom crush arrangement with many limitations and conditions. Including the ability to freely sell my wine. I had truly hoped someday have my own winery where I had complete freedom to work on and improve my craft. As if my dreams were heard, in 2012 I met the love of my life Nicole, who luckily fell in love with me but also the wine I made. We talked about my desire to someday have my own place and through her insight, encouragement and persistence we started looking for a place to start our own winery together.

Unfortunately, nothing affordable was available in the Santa Clarita area so a friend suggested we look in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley. In 2018 We met a gentleman who owned a building that since 1954 was a Firestone tire store but most of the building was now turned into offices for an engineering firm. However, some of the old building was still used by mechanics as auto repair. After meeting the owner and his wife they were excited to hear our idea and instantly the deal was done, We signed the lease in March 2018 and after a huge amount of work, the converted auto bays were turned into our winery and tasting room. We opened on November 2 of 2018.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our greatest obstacle was a year and a four months after being open Covid hit. We were completely self-financed and we were more than concerned on how this would affect our lively hood.

Luckily for us the wine club members we had attracted at that time and others who supported us came to the rescue and purchased more wine than ever before.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are considered a micro-winery as we make only 350 to 550 cases a year. We specialize in multiple varietals, small lot, production of local grapes and grapes from Paso Robles. We are most proud of the fact that we take great attention to detail in creating wines that are very unique and approachable, which has allowed us to grow our wine club membership threefold. We are known for being a close, knit, family-run business and take part in many local events in the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita area! Our focus is also on the attention of our customers for without them we would not have the flourishing business we have. We listen to their comments and suggestions to make the place more of a community family-like Tasting Room.

We are most proud of the fact that the wines are made with passion, love and with our own hands. We only source the grapes, but everything else is done in the winery next to the tasting room. Many times people from the tasting room will come in and take a look at what’s going on and see the hard work, love and care we are putting into the product.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Currently, we receive great support from the City of Lancaster and our current Wine Club members. If people want to collaborate with us, we could talk about events that we could do together to promote the wine industry in whole and of course our wines.

As far as collaboration, I am the newly elected president of the antelope valley wine growers Association. Currently, we have five active members that help promote each other and the local wine scene.

How people can support us? Just visit our Tasting Room to see what we’re all about. I truly believe that once people visit our winery and experience the hospitality and the amazing wines that they will tell other people and that is our grassroots movement to growth. We have found that advertising does little to promote our business. It is word of mouth that spreads the thing we do!

Pricing:

• Wines are priced 25 to 45.00
• Wine club members receive 20% off all bottles and get a free glass of wine for two people
• Wine club members get free glasses of wine

Contact Info:

• Website: stephenhemmertwines.com
• Instagram: StephenHemmertWines