Introduces the T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experience℠ designation to help wine lovers discover these wineries
May 12, 2026 (Napa and Sonoma, CA) — Family-run wineries producing fewer than 5,000 cases annually now have a new collective voice with the launch of the Micro-Winery Guild (MWG), an organization created to protect, promote, and economically strengthen small producers. The Guild is also introducing the T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experience℠ designation, a new way for wine lovers to easily identify and experience authentic small-production wines crafted by passionate, hands-on growers and winemakers.
At a time when the wine industry is increasingly shaped by scale and manufactured hospitality, the Micro-Winery Guild offers something rarer: a direct connection to the people who farm the land, make the wine, and carry family traditions forward.
Founded by small producers for small producers, the Guild brings together independent wineries rooted in vineyard-driven practices and personal, hands-on hospitality. Members include Elkhorn Peak Cellars, Crux Winery, Paloma Vineyard, and Van der Kamp Vineyard. A complete listing is on the website.
These wineries represent a new standard for authentic California wine tasting, where guests meet the people behind the bottle, experience agriculture firsthand, and rediscover wine through intimate, vineyard-based experiences that harken back to a more nostalgic and personal era,” said Elise Nerlove, co-founder of the Micro-Winery Guild and owner of Elkhorn Peak Cellars
Nerlove explains what the Micro-Winery Guild is in this video https://microwineryguild.com/mwg/
Introducing the T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experience
At the center of the Guild is the T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experience – a defined, peer-reviewed standard representing the highest expression of what makes micro-wineries extraordinary. Every T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experience offers a personally hosted experience rooted in five core principles:
- Terroir – Vineyard-first, place-driven wines
- Artisan – Hands-on, family-crafted production
- Small-Scale – Intentionally limited production
- Trust – Verified transparency and authenticity
- Engagement – Direct, personal connection with the producer
T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experiences represent a distinct category of excellence within California wine – one defined not by luxury or scale, but by craftsmanship, heritage, and genuine hospitality.
At a Micro-Winery Guild winery, the person pouring your wine is often the same person who farms the vines, makes the wine, and owns the land. Guests are welcomed into working farms rather than commercial venues. Tastings may take place in vineyards, cellars, or family spaces – often just steps from where the wine was grown and crafted.
“Small wine businesses across California are opening their vineyards and farms for truly unique tasting experiences,” said Nerlove. “The Micro-Winery Guild brings structure and visibility to this movement by establishing the state’s first authenticity designation dedicated to small, family-run wineries.”
Visitors meet the people behind the bottle – farmers and winemakers whose stories are lived rather than scripted. These experiences are rooted in agriculture and offer a rare opportunity to understand the many elements that shape a wine’s character.
“The Micro-Winery Guild invites the public to seek out T.A.S.T.E. Verified Experiences and enjoy wine the way it was always meant to be experienced – immersive, intimate, and vineyard-driven” Nerlove added.
About the Micro-Winery Guild
The Micro-Winery Guild is an organization dedicated to protecting and strengthening independent, small-scale wineries producing fewer than 5,000 cases annually through advocacy, agritourism, and collective marketing.
To learn more or explore T.A.S.T.E. Verified wineries, visit microwineryguild.com or email info@microwineryguild.com.
