What do you get when you cross a New York City lovin’ gal & a born and bread Santa Cruz winemaker? A winery of course. 

 

Mikael & Denise joined forces in 2011, with a mutual love of wine and a shared opinion that wine is for every day living. Starting at 100 cases, the Wargins now make approximately 2,000+ cases a year across 8+ grape varietals and focus on wines to expand the experience of the wine drinker in a way that is unassuming and complimentary to daily life. 

 

Mikael Wargin - Winemaker / Owner

The Wargin family has lived in Soquel for over 80 years. Mikael  has a biochemistry degree from UCSC with a focus on MDNA - molecular development. After a tour of Europe followed by an exploration of California wine country, Mikael traded life in the lab for the wine cellar, starting his wine career in 2003 at Armida Winery in Healdsburg. After managing both the hospitality side as tasting room manager in Capitola, and Cellar team in Healdsburg, Mikael refined is skills at Burrel School Vineyards as assistant winemaker and then consulting winemaker for Roudon Smith Winery, MJA Vineyards, El Vaquero, Vino Tabi and more. He started Wargin Wines in 2011 with his now wife Denise. 

​

Denise Coultas-Wargin / Owner

A certified ARMY brat, Denise's first wine was a German riesling that started an interest, later facilitated by a sommelier in Zurich and a chef in New York City. As a Fintech consultant by day, she is the weekend  “Fairy Wine Mother”. Denise began her formal wine adventure in 2005 with a visit to the Santa Cruz Mountains followed up with studies at the French Culinary Institute NYC. As fate would have it, she met winemaker Mikael Wargin upon moving to

Santa Cruz and the rest is history in progress.