Restaurant Visit: Scribe Winery in Sonoma

Haute bohemian winery Scribe has been on our radar for a while now. It's not your everyday vintner: Scribe is a social club featuring the occasional campout, an artist-in-residence program, and all-day communal cookouts. It is owned by brothers Andrew and Adam Mariani, who grew up on a walnut and almond farm in the agricultural town of Winters; after college, they traveled through Europe working in vineyards. The property's 100-year-old Californian hacienda was built by the land's original owners: the Dresel family, German immigrants who arrived in the the mid-1800s.

I stopped by last week, with a mission of checking out the environs before a planned remodel. The Marianis think of themselves as "scribes of this land"; they are intent on preserving the winery's history and have restored the vineyards, planted vegetable beds, and brought in chicken, goats, and heritage pigs. The winery is open by appointment only and is well worth a visit. For more information, go to Scribe.

Photography by Nora Denker (except where noted).

Above: Local history and the written word form the backbone of Scribe Winery.

Above: The interiors feature a Turkish rug (a gift from a friend), chairs picked up from the Alameda flea market, and a deer's head—"a gift from a Pinot dude," according to Andrew.

Above: Wine club manager Nora Denker, an old friend of Andrew's, created the look and feel at Scribe, assembling a collection of photography and prints that reflect local history.

Above: The Mariani brothers recruited Kristof Anderson as winemaker and seasoned viticulturist Andrew Avellar to oversee the vineyards.

Above: Each vintage has its own unique label, referencing its history and embossed with Scribe's feather logo.

Above: A communal table in the tasting room is made from reclaimed tongue-and-groove boards.

Above: The cellar's sliding barn door displays an etching of founder Emile Dresel. Photograph by Art Bandito on Flickr.

Above: A custom wine rack; photo by Durable Goods Concern.

Above: The winery bathroom features a wall covered in planks of milled wood from local trees.

Above: The view over the vineyards from the communal fireplace.

Above: The swing was original to the property.