When winemaker Richard Krumwiede opened up the email from the Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition, he thought it was a joke.
He was informed that his 2017 Grenache has taken the top prize in the competition, beating out 2,700 other entries.
Not bad for the recently retired landscape architect whose humble beginnings as a home winemaker winning gold medals at the Orange County Home Wine Competition has budded into running a commercial wine operation that is well regarded among those familiar with Krumwiede’s operation.
Krumwiede owns Sycamore Ranch Vineyard and Winery in Crestline, nestled in the San Bernardino Mountains, just outside Lake Arrowhead. This year marks the winery’s 10th anniversary. Krumwiede admits the accolades that have followed have been somewhat stunning but appreciated.
“It’s been a flight path steadily gaining altitude on confidence,” he said over a glass of wine in his Crestline tasting room. “I think the vintages have improved over the years. No one has been more surprised than my wife and me.”
Long gone are the days when Krumwiede’s knowledge of wine amounted to drinking Boone’s Farm. His introduction to wine came at the hands of his father-in-law who taught wine appreciation classes at Ambassador College in Pasadena.
Krumwiede and his wife, Elizabeth, began going on trips to Santa Barbara wine county; his interest only grew from there.
“I really started to become kind of infatuated with how all these flavors could come from just the grape,” he said. “It was really interesting to me.”
After moving to Crestline, he later bought a 3½ acre lot that was home to 100-year-old apple orchards. He began making cider but saw the potential of planting vineyards on the property – albeit at 4,576 feet above altitude.
He planted 60 vines each of Zinfandel and Syrah and the first vintage was marginal at best (since then his co-fermented red blend aptly named Altitude 4576 is one of the winery’s higher prices wines).
After a chance encounter meeting with Ted Plemons and Steve Cass, owners of Cass Winery in Paso Robles, at a wine pairing dinner in Lake Arrowhead, Krumwiede learned from the pair that co-opting wine might be a good way to broaden his horizon.
Between 2012 and 2014, Krumwiede purchased grapes from Cass and Sculpterra Winery and that sought-after affirmation winemakers seek began trickling in. He received gold medals from the OCWS Home Wine Competition.
He then thought about turning his hobby into a business but knew he needed his wife’s approval.
“I talked to Elizabeth about going commercial and she said, ‘Sure why not?’’’ he quipped. “She told me later she thought I would fail and that I would make terrible wine and that’s why she said OK.”
The goal has always remained the same: to make the best wine possible, and Krumwiede continues to knock it out of the park. Besides earning the “Best of the Best” by Sunset Magazine, his 2019 Mourvedre received the highest score ever – 99 points – at the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition.
Nearly all of the grapes – save the on-property Zin and Syrah – are from the Santa Ynez Valley, known for its exceptional Rhone varietals. Krumwiede initially made 400 cases of wine and about 100 cases of cider. The 2024 vintage will mean 1,000 cases of wine and 500 cases of cider for release this year.
“I don’t want to get this winery over 2,500 cases a year of wine and cider,” he said. “I want to continue to stay ultra-focused on making the best wine we can versus mass consumer appeal.”
Mother Nature always poses a challenge for winemakers but Krumwiede has a little more to worry about given his location. Frost at the beginning of bud break and freezing temperatures toward the end of harvest in early November are usually the main culprits but there can be unforeseen circumstances.
“Animal control is a big one,” Krumwiede said. “Ten years ago, the bears discovered the vineyards and came bulldozing through the fence every night and ate all the grapes so we put an electrified fence around the two vineyards.”
All of which is to say is that his two biggest lessons he’s learned when making wine is having patience and trust.
“Patience in not overreacting when you think you have a problem,” Krumwiede added. “Trusting that time will be on your side if you treat the grapes right.”
Most of his wines can be found in the bottle shops, grocery stores and restaurants in the mountain communities. However, he’s hoping to make a dent in similar locations in Southern California and finding a home in taprooms with his cider.
For now, those who visit Sycamore Ranch’s tasting room are treated to either an indoor or outdoor experience that is quaint and unrushed. Guests can opt to taste a flight of ciders or five to six wines; the tasting fee is waived if two or more bottles of wine are purchased.
Krumwiede appreciates the recognition his wines have received both from the public and competitions he enters.
“I like the fact that, and most winemakers will tell you whether it’s merited or not, for whatever reason you get treated a little bit like a rock star by the people who come to drink wine and it’s a bit of a mystery to them about the whole process and how you do it,” Krumwiede said. “I’ve looked at this as a pleasurable business because people coming to drink wine are generally celebrating or with friends. They are there to have a nice time.”