Solminer is the work of David and Anna deLaski, who call themselves farming winemakers and mean it literally. Their home vineyard sits a half mile from downtown Los Olivos, certified organic, then biodynamic, then regenerative organic, worked alongside chickens, sheep, donkeys, and bees. From it comes a lineup of Austrian-inspired natural wines that look nothing like the Cabernet and Chardonnay around them, and taste all the better for it.

Two people, one year, all in

David and Anna met in 2009 and fell for each other and for Santa Barbara wine country at the same time. They married soon after, and on a visit to Anna family in Austria the idea took hold: to settle down and build a life rooted in the land. A chance meeting with a winemaking mentor and a property for sale with vines in the front yard turned the idea into a decision. They went all in, bought a fixer farmhouse and vineyard in Los Olivos, and named the labor of love Solminer.

The name is its own little philosophy. Sol for sun and miner for mining, the idea of mining the sun that in turn nourishes the soul and unearths the treasures in the soil.

Conscious farming, by sun and moon

Solminer home vineyard is named deLanda, a blend of the couple first and last names. It was first certified organic in 2014, biodynamic in 2018, and regenerative organic in 2021, and it keeps evolving as they do. They call it conscious farming: decisions made for personal rather than commercial reasons, with chickens, donkeys, sheep, bees, fruit trees, and native plants all part of the system.

Biodynamic compost, herbal preparations and teas, and the lunar calendar guide the work, all of it aimed at the microorganisms in the dirt and the long-term health of the vines. The result is a vineyard that shines with individuality and biodiversity, and wines that carry that aliveness into the glass.

Austrian grapes on the Central Coast

This is where Solminer breaks from the pack. Drawing on Anna Austrian heritage, the deLaskis planted Gruner Veltliner, the crisp, peppery white that is Austria signature, and discovered that Blaufrankisch, a dark Austrian red, thrives in the Los Olivos climate too. They round the range out with a dry Muscat they call Muskateller, several expressions of Syrah including a rose and a sparkling, and new plantings of Riesling.

Production is tiny, around 2,000 cases a year, all of it made naturally with minimal intervention. These are wines for people who want to taste something they cannot get anywhere else on the Central Coast.

What to pour it with

Austrian grapes are some of the most food-friendly wines on earth, which is the whole reason they are worth seeking out. Gruner Veltliner, with its white-pepper snap and bright acidity, is a dream with hard-to-pair foods: asparagus, artichokes, green salads, and herby dishes that flatten ordinary whites. Its acid cuts through schnitzel or fried chicken and resets the palate for the next bite.

Blaufrankisch is the table red you did not know you needed, peppery and red-fruited with brisk acidity and moderate tannin, perfect with roast pork, sausages, paprika-spiced stews, and grilled vegetables. Save the dry Muskateller for spicy food, where its aromatic lift and touch of fruit cool the heat, and pour the sparkling Syrah whenever something needs celebrating. A pinch of salt on any of these plates rounds the wine and makes the fruit sing.

Solminer: common questions