In recent years, wineries across the world have been trying to reach younger generations. That’s the exact crowd that has caught on to Scribe Winery.
Brothers Andrew and Adam Mariani founded Scribe in Sonoma in 2007. Since then, it has gained major traction with the media and hip West Coasters — as the San Francisco Chronicle puts it, Scribe is the “ultimate cool-kids winery” for “Bay Area millennials.”
The brothers are fourth-generation farmers, and part of their appeal to younger drinkers in California came from their commitment to practicing organic and biodynamic farming. The two run a relatively small-yield production: Scribe churns out roughly 10,000 bottles of wine a year, while large vineyards’ outputs can range from the hundred thousands to the millions. From the Mariani brothers’ deep-rooted farming lineage to their winery’s restorations and expansions, here are seven things to know about Scribe.
Scribe operates on a property that was once a pre-Prohibition vineyard.
After the Marianis purchased the winery’s inaugural plot of land, they discovered that another pair of farmers had tended the area as a vineyard. In 1858, German immigrants Jacob Gundlach and Emil Dresel planted a vineyard across the entirety of Arrowhead Mountain, where Scribe now resides. Today, descendants of Gundlach own the neighboring vineyard Gundlach Bundschu Winery. The onset of Prohibition caused Gundlach’s first vineyard to shutter, and by the time the Marianis arrived, the plot had intermittently operated as a turkey farm. Transforming the area meant throwing out massive turkey cages and clearing overgrown flora and fauna.
Ten years later, they restored a home in ruins
A decade after Scribe’s founding, the Marianis restored an on-property, 19th-century home — which reportedly once served as a brothel. The space, called the Hacienda, is now home to an open kitchen serving snacks and meals to guests. Food at the Hacienda is sometimes overseen by Kelly Mariani — the brothers’ sister — who worked in the kitchen at the wildly popular Chez Panisse.
In addition to popular grapes, Scribe likes to experiment with rarer varieties.
Among Scribe’s wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah — all tried-and-true grapes that thrive in California’s climate. But the winery has made a commitment to experimenting with other less common fruit. Its lineup includes Sylvaner, a white grape native to Austria. Scribe also strives to honor California’s winemaking history with Mission, the first foreign grape to have been planted in the state.
Scribe expanded with the purchase of a historic vineyard.
The brothers purchased a neighboring plot called Arrowhead Vineyard in 2024, marking the first physical expansion of Scribe. The Marianis told The San Francisco Chronicle that the additional plot would decrease the amount of fruit they needed to purchase from other wineries, handing them more control over viticulture and, in turn, their wines. While the Gundlach family used to own and farm Arrowhead Vineyard, The Chronicle reports that UBS bank was the most recent proprietor and the Marianis purchased grapes from it before buying the plot outright.
Much of the Mariani family farms a different crop in California.
Andrew and Adam Mariani are billed as fourth-generation farmers, but grapes were not the original family venture. Since 1972, members of the family have run the Mariana Nut Company just north of San Francisco in Winters, Calif. Mariani Nut Co. began as a small walnut farm and now claims to be one of the largest walnut and almond processors in the world.
Scribe makes and sells olive oil.
When the brothers traveled to Italy, they experienced firsthand the lively, peppery taste of fresh-pressed olive oil. Upon returning home, they planted the four olive trees most common in Tuscany and, a few years later, began crafting estate-made olive oil. They pluck and cold-press the olives after picking the last grapes of the harvest. 2025 was the first year the winery released its olive oil to the public.
The farmers tend to other crops and livestock on site.
Part of Scribe’s attraction to younger drinkers is its commitment to curating a lush ecosystem. First and foremost, Andrew and Adam view themselves as farmers before vintners, and, as such, the brothers raise crops beyond grapes, like mustard greens, chicories, and tomatoes. Yields from the many vegetable and flower patches around the property figure onto the tasting menu at the Hacienda. Visitors at the winery will also see a variety of livestock, including sheep, grazing the land.
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