Meet Ryan Hill from Hill Family

If you haven't yet, its time to meet Ryan Hill from Hill Family Estate Winery as we prepare for our upcoming wine dinner at Wildfish with Ryan and the Hill Family wines.  So instead of hearing it from us, we thought we'd sit down with Ryan (interview style) so you can get to know Ryan and his families wine.

DW: Hi Ryan, how are you?
RH: I'm great. And you?

DW: Good. Ryan, tell us about the Hill Family and their wines.
RH: Hill Family Estate was formed in 2001 by Doug (my Dad), Darci, Ryan and Carly Hill. The patriarch, Doug Hill, started growing grapes in Napa during the early 80's. Over the last 33 years, Doug has managed over 1,000 acres of vineyards and grown grapes for 50 different winemakers. Today, the Hill's craft 10 different wines that range from $22-$150 per bottle.

DW: What makes the Hill Family different from others?
RH: We are 100% family owned and operated! Our wines are crafted in an elegant style (we have a female winemaker) and she expresses the terroir from each vineyard site that is farmed by Doug Hill.

DW: Does Hill Family use all of your grapes and if not what do you do with the remainder?
RH: 80 percent of our grapes are sold and 20 percent are used under the Hill Family Estate label.

DW: HFE does something unique with wine staining. Could you tell us more about that project?
RH: In 2006, a casual dinner at the Napa Rose restaurant in Anaheim, CA would forever change the way I thought about marketing wine. A three-hour conversation about the wine industry with Master Sommelier Michael Jordan and Fender Custom Shop Manager Michael Eldred led to me and winemaker Alison Green-Doran to collaborating on the Fender Project. We came up with a staining mixture called "Hill Harvest Red" and stained 100 60th Anniversary Stratocaster Guitars. These guitars were sold with a 6-pack of the Hill Family Presidential Blend. Little did we know this was the beginning of something big for Hill Family Estate!

DW: When did you get interested in wine? How?
RH: I started drinking wine when I was six years old (Thanks Dad) and become interested in making wine after graduating high school.

DW: Which is varietal is your favorite?
RH: Frigging Syrah baby!

DW: If you weren’t working in the wine industry, what would you be doing?
RH: Traveling the world and surfing.

DW: Tell us about the “Next Generation” in Napa?
RH: The "NG" group is comprised of "kids" that have parents that got started in the wine biz. The NG members are carrying the torch and continuing the tradition of what their parents started!

DW: Tell us your funniest wine dinner story across all your travels?
RH: I don't know if it was the funniest, but I did a wine dinner in 2009 where I traded a wine stained guitar for a Breitling watch! It was an impulse trade (both items were worth $12,000), and made for a very memorable evening!

DW: Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches or grilled cheese
RH: Grilled cheese

DW: Last question, what are the chances that the Charges will make the playoffs next year?
RH: I already booked my hotel room in Dallas….
DW: Wow, that's pretty confident

If you are interested in meeting Ryan and hearing more about the Hill Family Estate, join us Monday, May 24 at 7pm at Wildfish in Newport Beach. Reservations are necessary. Call 949-720-9925 or Wes at 714-240-2318 for more information.