Margins produces low-intervention wines using grapes from underrepresented regions, vineyards, and varietals. We make wines from organically farmed vineyards, using minimal additives during the winemaking process (SO2 only), and never employing the use of temperature control, fining, or filtration.

Much like people living on the 'margins of society,' vineyards can be outcasts too. Most consumers of wine are only familiar with a handful of grape growing regions and types of wine. Margins draws attention to vineyards and varietals throughout northern and central California that find themselves on the margins without the recognition they deserve.

Margins is a winemaking endeavor of Megan Bell, a winemaker living and working in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Prior to settling on the central coast of California, Megan received her BS in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis in 2012 and apprenticed in wineries and vineyards in Napa, the Livermore Valley, the Willamette Valley, Central Otago (NZ), and the Loire Valley (France).  She started Margins in 2016 with a modest crowdfunding campaign to create eight barrels of Chenin blanc. Margins now produces ~2800 cases annually of more than 20 wines.

From the winery: 

A chillable tasty morsel! It’s a light red or a dark rosé, depending on what you want it to be. Instead of bottling direct-to-press classic rosé this year, I blended some red wine into the rosés to increase body and adjust the hue. It’s the first time I’ve ever done this, and I am very excited about the results. Long live Rosy Wake!

Varietals: 46% Grenache Rosé (Paicines), 25% Mourvèdre Rosé (San Benito County), 15% Négrette Rosé (San Benito County), 6% Barbera Rosé (half from Santa Cruz Mountains, half from San Benito County), 3% Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mountains), 2% Grenache (San Benito County), 2% Nebbiolo (San Benito County), 1% Vermentino (San Benito County)

Production: 196 cases

Region: United States, California, Central Coast

Farming: As of 2021 all vineyards Margins works with are farmed organically.

Vinification: 100% destemmed. Fermented and aged separately and blended right before bottling. Aged in neutral oak for 4-4.5 months (depending on the cuvée). Native fermentation, no fining, no filtration, no other modifications or additions except 30 ppm of sulfur dioxide the week before bottling. The Negrette Rosé also received 10 ppm of sulfur dioxide in late November 2023.