Wine · Berkeley, California
Maitre de Chai
Old-vine California wines from two restaurant veterans in Berkeley.
- Founded
- 2012
- Founded by
- Alex Pitts, Marty Winters
- Based in
- Berkeley, California
Making it since
2012
Their story
Alex Pitts and Marty Winters met in the kitchen of Cyrus in Healdsburg and started Maître de Chai together in 2012. Pitts had cooked at the French Laundry, and Winters had worked as a sommelier at the Restaurant at Meadowood.
They first made wine in a corner of friends' facilities in Napa before moving into their own winery on Fourth Street in Berkeley, where on weekends they also bake wood-fired pizza.
How it's made
Maître de Chai buys grapes from single, organically farmed, old-vine vineyards around California, including Zinfandel and Chenin Blanc. The aim is for each wine to show the character of its site, with a light hand in the cellar.
Why we carry them
We like that Maître de Chai is cooking and pouring just across the Bay. Their Zinfandel is a fresh, food-minded take on a California classic.
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