Wohler Bridge is closed through mid-October, 2026
Our Story
Built by Curiosity. Still Family Owned.
It all started with a math teacher who couldn’t stop thinking about wine.
In the late 1970s, while teaching mathematics at San Jose State University, Rick Moshin discovered winemaking as a hobby. What began with a few batches of homemade wine quickly became a lifelong pursuit of understanding how vineyards, climate, and thoughtful winemaking come together in a single bottle.
In 1989, that curiosity became Moshin Vineyards.
More than three decades later, we’re still asking questions, still learning, and still making wine with the same hands-on spirit that built this winery from the ground up.
A Different
Kind of Winery
Moshin has never been about chasing trends or becoming the biggest name in wine country.
We’re proudly independent, family owned, and rooted in the Russian River Valley. Every decision—from how we farm our vineyards to how we welcome guests—is guided by one simple belief:
Great wine begins in the vineyard, and great experiences begin with genuine hospitality.
You’ll still find Rick walking the vineyards, checking barrels, answering visitors’ questions, fixing whatever needs fixing, or sketching out his next idea. Around here, everyone pitches in. Always has.
A Pioneer in
Russian River Valley
When Rick planted his first Pinot Noir vineyard in 1989, the Russian River Valley was only beginning to earn its reputation as one of the world’s great places to grow Pinot Noir.
Working alongside pioneers like Davis Bynum, Gary Farrell, and Joe Rochioli, Rick helped shape what the region would become. Along the way, he experimented with vineyard practices, shared ideas with neighboring growers, and developed the thoughtful, minimal-intervention philosophy that continues to guide every vintage today.
Those early years taught us something we still believe:
The vineyard already knows what to do. Our job is simply to listen.
Built by
Hand
When it came time to build the winery, Rick didn’t look for shortcuts.
Together with family and friends, he designed and built one of California’s first gravity-flow wineries—a four-level facility that allows delicate Pinot Noir to move naturally through the winemaking process using gravity instead of pumps.
It’s a little more work.
It’s absolutely worth it.
Because every decision we make is about preserving what the vineyard gave us.
More Than a
Family Business
As Moshin grew, so did the family.
Rick’s sister, Janet, joined to help manage the business. His wife, Amber, brought the brand to life through marketing and storytelling. Today, our winemaking, hospitality, and vineyard teams continue that tradition, welcoming every guest the way we’d welcome friends into our home.
Whether you’re visiting for the first time or picking up your latest Wine Club shipment, we hope you leave feeling like you’ve found your winery—not just another tasting room.
If there’s one thing that’s never changed, it’s Rick’s love of teaching.
Long before Professor Pinot, Rick was helping students make sense of complicated ideas. Today, he’s still doing exactly that—only now the classroom is a vineyard, the lesson is about Pinot Noir, and everyone is welcome.
We’re not here to teach you about wine.
We’re here to explore it with you.