Our Story
A Storybook Beginning
After years of wanting to experiment with their own fruit, Cheryl finally convinced Randy to make some wine. Not having any equipment, the pair crushed that historic first barrel with their own feet. Following a fruitful romp in that first bin of grapes, Randy and Cheryl stumbled upon the name Red Soles while admiring each other's red, grape-stained feet. That first crush of Petite Sirah and Zinfandel grapes later became the founding partner's premier vintage, their 2004 Kick-Off.
Red Soles’ Practices, Process and Philosophy
This uniquely successful, wine-growing and wine-making duo, Randy and Cheryl Phillips, happily run the business themselves. Each wine in their line-up is Estate grown, and the duo is proud of the fact that they do not source their wine grapes from any vineyard other than their own.
Although the winery is definitely a full-time business, the main focus of Randy and Cheryl's company will always be farming. There is something extremely satisfying about being able to be part of a wine grape's journey from dust to vine and vine to barrel. Currently, the pair farms one hundred acres of wine grapes at the winery site in the prestigious Willow Creek AVA of Paso Robles. Only a small percentage of what is grown gets turned into Red Soles wine; the rest of the grapes are sold to large wineries, most of whom they have been doing business with for over 20 years.
There is great pride in making consistently award-winning wines from the same fruit that is grown for the farming business clients. With an average annual production of 2,000 cases of wine, our wines are a rare treat. These wines aren’t typically found on grocery store shelves or restaurant wine lists, though there are a few exceptions, you are more likely to discover Red Soles wines being shared with you by a friend and that is one of our favorite parts of being such a small, boutique winery.
A Spirited Leap
Red Soles was among the very first wineries in Paso Robles to secure a DSP (Distilled Spirits Plant), the permit which allows for making liquor. In July of 2013 Red Soles took ownership of a custom, handcrafted, Arnold Holstein still from Germany and leapt into the spirits business. This beautiful work of art takes our farming work a step further than our wine. The still, “Patience, my Dear” as she’s been named, was built specifically to process wine and distill it into fine brandy. Visitors to our tasting room are sure to catch a glimpse of Patience in our tasting room, and quite often can see her in action on the weekends.