Long time customers of TWM will recognize the name Kestrel although the labels of our features are relatively new additions to the brand. Before 2010 we sold a lot of Kestrel Cellars, and the wines were very popular, particularly their Lady In Red table wine. Then the owner of the winery, John Walker, passed away and this caused a change in personnel, which unfortunately for us, included a change in distribution that took the wines out of the market. After shuffling people for a few years it appears that they are once again on a forward trajectory, at least if the wines I tasted recently are any indicator.
When I made these selections the intended theme was going to be, “Kestrel from the ashes.” While the new wines are very much an example of redemption from examples I tasted a few years ago, my research has led me to a far more compelling story. Today the winery is led by John and Helen’s daughter, Cindy Crowley, who with the help of a gifted winemaker is reinventing itself with wines far beyond what they produced in the past. Our story starts with the simplest of differences, the rebranding from Kestrel Cellars to Kestrel Vintners, which speaks volumes of their intention for the future.
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