Andrew Jones spends his days walking vineyards across California as a vine nursery fieldman, which means he has stood in just about every patch of dirt on the Central Coast. Field Recordings is what happens when a man who plants vineyards for a living starts making wine from the underdog sites nobody else noticed. It began in his attic in 2007 and now anchors a corner of Tin City.

The vine man

Field Recordings started as a hobby. Working for a vine nursery, planning and planting vineyards for farmers all over California, Andrew Jones got familiar with an enormous range of sites, and growers began offering him small lots of their best fruit on the side. He made his first batch of wine in his attic in 2007 and never looked back.

The whole project flows from that day job. Having stood in nearly every vineyard on the coast, Jones hunts for the quiet, overlooked sites with untapped potential, then makes small quantities of soulful wine from them. Wine Enthusiast nominated him for its 2023 Innovator of the Year award, crediting his forward thinking approach with helping turn Paso Robles into a hub of wine tourism.

Andrew Jones made his first wine in his attic in 2007 and went on to help pioneer serious canned wine.

Minimal intervention, real places

Field Recordings is a minimal intervention winery, which means as little done to the wine as possible so the vineyard comes through clearly. Jones treats each lot like a field recording in the musical sense, a faithful capture of a specific place and moment rather than a polished studio production.

He also helped lead the canned wine movement, proving that serious, well made wine can come out of an aluminum can without apology. Across the board, the goal is the same: honest wine that tastes of where it grew, made without fuss.

The wines

The range is wide and adventurous, built from those underdog vineyards: crisp, distinctive whites, fresh and savory reds, skin contact and unusual varietals, and the pioneering canned wines. The styles change with what the vineyards offer, so the lineup is always a little surprising.

What ties it together is freshness and clarity. These are not heavy, oaky wines, they are lively, drinkable, and full of personality, exactly what you would expect from someone chasing quiet vineyards for the love of it.

What to pour it with

Minimal intervention wines like these love casual, flavorful food, which is why Field Recordings is famous for pizza nights. The bright, savory reds are a perfect match for a blistered Margherita or a sausage pie, the acidity cutting the cheese and the fruit meeting the tomato. Keep it relaxed.

The crisp and skin contact whites want bright, herby, sometimes spicy food: grilled vegetables, ceviche, a spread of small plates. Their acidity and texture stand up to a lot, and a touch of salt on the food makes them taste rounder. The rule here is simple, good wine and good company over fancy plating.

Field Recordings: common questions