For Women’s History Month, Check Out These Natural Women in Wine

bud break at Ojai Mountain

Each March during Women’s History Month, we celebrate women — all women! Here at Art Predator, we are taking a minute to celebrate “natural women” — that is, women who work in natural wine! Not only are we celebrating natural wine women here on Art Predator, but also on Wine Predator, and in my article in this week’s VC Reporter about five natural wine women in Ventura County:

• Natalie Albertson owner and winemaker at Wildflower Winery, now Native Bloom Winery, Ventura, CA
• Olga Chernov, owner and grower at Ojai Mountain Estate, Ojai, CA
• Gretel Compton, owner, grower, winemaker Clos des Amis and South Mountain Winery, Santa Paula, CA
• Sheila Donohue owner and importer at Verovino, Ventura, CA and Bologna, Italy
• Alexis Wade, owner of Buddy’s Wine Bar, Ventura, CA

read about these wines from these natural women below

From grapes to glass, these gals have a handle on different aspects of getting grapes organically and made with minimal intervention. I had so many great photos and so much to say but the VC Reporter had limited space so here’s a few more details about Olga Chernov, Gretel Compton, Natalie Albertson, Alexis Wade and Sheila Donohue and the wines they are passionate about —  wines that make us all feel like “natural” women.

Olga Chernov among freshly pruned biodynamic vines at  Ojai Mountain Estate, Ojai CA

Olga Chernov: Ojai Mountain Estate, Ojai CA

Near the summit of 3,000′ Sulphur Mountain, Olga Chernov fell in love with a place and a view of the Pacific Ocean. She knew she’d found a home where her family could flee the city, and for her sons to make connections the land.

When Olga and Mikhail Chernov purchased 160 or so acres 10 years ago, they weren’t sure what they were going to do with it. A fan of wine made from high altitude grapes grapes like those made by Erich Bradley at Moon Mountain AVA in Sonoma County, she decided to plant a vineyard at 2800′ on Sulphur Mountain. Before Olga planted any vines, she grew a cover crop for three years to build up soil which was largely non-existent before on the steep rocky shale slopes. Biodynamics farming isn’t just about what’s in the vineyard, but about creating an ecosystem. Fort his purpose, and for her children, Olga keeps chickens, sheep, goats, bees; she has so many chickens she sells their eggs as Cedarfield Farms https://www.instagram.com/cedarfieldfarms.

They had planned to plant a vineyard in 2017. Fortunately, they didn’t– which meant her vines weren’t threatened by the December 2017 Thomas Fire which swept rapidly and violently through Ventura County. Six acres of vineyards went in on the steep shale hillsides in 2018 using a traditional trellis method; more vines have been added which will be head trained with plans to expand further.

owner Olga Chernov and winemaker Erich Bradley

Olga was planning on selling the fruit when she and her husband Mike were at a wine club pickup party in Sonoma where winemaker Erich Bradley learned she had vines growing on shale soils at 2800’ in Ventura County. Excited about the possibilities, he offered to make her wine at his facility in Sonoma, and he brought famed biodynamic viticulturist Phil Coturri on board to advise. They are in the process of obtaining organic and biodynamic certifications.

Olga already has a few vintages under her belt during which time Ventura County has experienced extremes in weather – from drought to record rainfall– and yet she has produced about 600 cases a year. Currently Ojai Mountain offers an Estate White Blend, an Estate Red Blend, and Syrah. Tastings are held on site by arrangement, or taste Ojai Mountain wines at the Ojai Valley Inn. Order wines from the website: https://ojaimountainestate.com/

2022 Ojai Mountain Estate White Blend, Ventura County

2022 Ojai Mountain Estate White Blend, Ventura County 

Made from 60% Grenache Blanc, 34% Picpoul, 6% Roussanne fermented and aged in 100% neutral French oak barriques, the wine is clear, pale yellow with complex aromas of lemon verbena, Madagascar jasmine, passion fruit, ginger flower, dry stone, chaparral. Eureka lemon greets the palate with a chalky texture, engaging salinity, chamomile, and a hint of chaparral balancing tartness with sweet herbs. $90

Ojai Syrah

2022 Ojai Mountain Syrah, Ventura County

Deep, dark, cloudy maroon with a pink rim, aromas of blueberry, boysenberry, pink peppercorns,  white sage, chaparral, and  church spice entice you to sip. On the palate, smooth yet dry, tannins and structure, great acidity, blue fruit, mulberry, rhubarb. Juicy yet structured. $90

Gretel Compton: Clos des Amis, Santa Paula, CA

Gretel Compton: Clos des Amis, Santa Paula, CA 

As a grower and a winemaker, Gretel Compton knows well the challenges of fire — her garage burned down in the 2017 Thomas Fire. She also knows about growing grapes and making wine no matter the extremes that the weather brings— with the additional challenge of managing vines grown in other locations than their South Mountain winery. Gretel started by joining Bruce Freeman’s “circle of friends” at his Clos des Amis project almost 20 years ago, and falling in love with Bruce as well as winemaking in the process. In the vineyard and at the winery, Gretel does it all: from pruning, planting, picking, processing, and blending to designing labels with her original artwork spotlighting local flora, fauna, and trails using her 30 years experience as a graphic artist. Both Bruce and Gretel are professional artists: Bruce taught at Ventura College and Gretel also teaches life drawing at Studio Channel Islands on Tuesday nights.

While there are lots of challenges, the rewards are plentiful.“We just try to keep it sustainable and fun,” Gretel told me back in December at a visit to South Mountain following a recent fire in the area that brought helicopters overhead checking for hot spots.

Find Gretel and her wines at the Saturday Farmers Market in Ventura and the Thursday Market in Thousand Oaks or make an appointment to visit them at their South Mountain winery. Website: Clos des Amis

Clos des Amis SB with mussels

2023 Clos des Amis Sauvignon Blanc South Mountain Vineyard, Ventura County

A pale clear buttercup greets the eye while aromas of flint, lemon lime, and Chinese Five Spice invite further exploration to the palate of lemon lime, oyster crackers, chaparral, and flint.

Clos des Amis Sangiovese with osso bucco

2022 Clos des Amis Sangiovese, Ventura County

Dense ruby in the glass with an explosion of fruit to the nose along with a bouquet of fresh roses, carnations, and violets takes you to bright juicy cherry fruit on the palate with balanced tannins. $33

Natalie Albertson: Native Bloom Winery

Natalie Albertson: Native Bloom Winery  

Natalie Albertson mostly purchases her organic grapes but she did farm a patch of pinot noir near Rincon Point, and she’d like to do more in the vineyard. For now, she’s mostly active in her warehouse winery where she’s making natural wines including pet nats, orange wines, chillable reds– wines similar to ones she loved while living in Europe with her husband who was stationed there. 

A trained nurse, and a self described science geek, when they returned to the states, Natalie used her science background to complete the wine certificate program at UC Davis. Her first vintage was in 2020 as Wildflower Winery. We visited Natalie last year at her Ventura winery which you can read here.  Because of a copywriter infringement, she recently changed the name from Wildflower Winery to Native Bloom Winery.   Natalie rebranded from Wildflower Winery to Native Bloom to reflect her use of native yeast, being a Native Californian, and a Native American. She’s bottling wine in April with the new labels, but she’s keeping the distinctive line drawings on the labels by Beth Chaney. We’re excited to sample the new releases with the new labels!Website: https://www.wildflowerwineryventura.com  

2023 Native Bloom Winery Chardonnay Pétillant-Naturel, Central Coast AVA

2023 Native Bloom Winery Chardonnay Pétillant-Naturel, Central Coast AVA

Cloudy, very tiny lively bubbles, pale lemon in appearance with aromas of tropical fruit, kiwi, chamomile, bee’s wax and on the palate, zingy with tart green apple, pear with a pear texture, fresh pineapple, tangerine. $34.

2022 Wildflower Winery “A Little Something” Viognier, Brick Barn Vineyard, Santa Ynez

Platinum pale yellow with a green tinge with aromas of minerals, river moss, rose geranium, ginger, cardamom with tea, white peach, salinity, cardamon on the palate. “This is my oyster wine, my fish wine,”  Natalie shared. $26

Alexis Wade at Buddy’s

Alexis Wade: Buddy’s Wine Bar, Ventura CA

So that’s a bit about where the grapes come from and how they get made, but where can you sit down and enjoy a glass? While it is easier to find natural wines these days, one of the best places in Ventura County to buy a glass of natural wine is at Buddy’s Wine Bar in midtown Ventura. Owner Alexis Wade worked as a pastry chef, and then in the film industry in LA.

During COVID, Alexis wanted to get back into food service, so she and a buddy decided to do a wine bar called “Buddy’s” but by the time it opened two years ago, the buddy was gone. Alexis kept the name: she liked the idea that people would become buddies. The space is warm and welcoming, and Buddy’s events and activities help break the ice. On Thursdays, they feature three flights of wine along a theme, and an all day Saturday Happy Hour with $10 glasses. If people are interested, Alexis likes to offer educational insights into the producer, and draw attention to the winemaker by offering flights by a winemaker. Website: https://www.buddyswinebar.com/

2022 Schödl In Natura “Bloody Muscat Muscat Muscat”, Austria

Made from certified organic Muscat by siblings Matthias, Leonhard and Viktoria Schödl, the wine is a cloudy golden ruby grapefruit color that’s very aromatic with a perfume of citrus, orchard fruit, and pollen that’s tart and dry on the palate with Meyer lemon, stone fruit and a clay texture. This wine was part of a three bottle tasting flight featuring Schödl.

Sheila Donohue and Art Predator at a Mardi Gras party

Sheila Donohue: Verovino

When Sheila Donohue found her career in finance taking her to Bologna, Italy, she fell in love with Italian food, wine, and an Italian baker, too. She began Verovinogusto to showcase small production organic, natural wines as well as olive oil including the top organic olive oils in Italy. Seven years ago Sheila Donohue moved her new wine and food import business Verovinogusto to Ventura. I met her in February 2019 when we were both taking the difficult Italian Wine Ambassador course in Los Angeles— which she passed the second time.

In November 2023, Sheila bought a Craftsman with a Quonset hut where she hopes to offer tastings of her natural wines and organic olive oils. Read more about Sheila’s journey into wine here in “Dreaming Impossible Dreams”. We have often written about the wines she imports because they are well made from interesting and unusual grapes grown organically and made with minimal intervention. Here was the first time we tasted wines imported by Sheila for a Women’s History Month article where we featured wines from Tuscany’s biodynamic Antonella Manuli.

Opening up a tasting room turned out to be more challenging than she expected, so don’t plan on visiting it soon! You can order her wines and locals in Ventura can pick them up at her warehouse. She’s been busy making the arrangements for a new container of wine and olive oil shipping soon from Italy to California. She also distributes Clos des Amis wines. 

2021 Quercia Scarlatta Marchese Japo White Wine Blend, Colli Macerates DOC paired well with seafood gumbo

2021 Quercia Scarlatta Marchese Japo White Wine Blend, Colli Macerates DOC

A blend of 70% Maceratino, 30% Incrocio Bruni 54, two rare and indigenous grapes from the Marche region of Italy, the wine made by husband and wife appears as a clear, pale lemon with aromas of anise, stone fruit blossom, fennel, black licorice, Kaffir lime, salinity and on the palate, lemongrass, anise, fennel, almond, bay laurel, tarragon. $24

 2019 La Maliosa Tarconte, Tuscany 

Using her patented regenerative Metodo Corino, owner and winemaker Antonella Manulli’s Sangiovese is a pretty rhubarb with rich aromas of cherry,  rhubarb, clove, forest floor, and mountain strawberry and on the palate, tart spiced cherry with sweet hay and walnut. $48

Tarconte was an Etruscan mythological hero, and Antonella Manulli, her importer Sheila Donohue, Alexis Wader, Gretel Compton, Natalie Albertson and Olga Chernvo are modern day heroes growing grapes and making wine that’s good for you and for the planet. Cheers to Ventura County’s Women in Wine and to Women’s History Month! 

Antonella Manuli’s biodynamic wines are imported to the US by Verovino

Wines provided as samples for review. Buddy’s Wine Bar also provided a cheese board.

For more “grape to glass gals” — check out this article about Organic, Biodynamic Frey’s 3 Generations of Women Working in Wine plus 3 Wines paired with crab rangoons (recipe!) + blue cheese burgers

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PS Did you hear the exciting news! I’m once again nominated for the 2025 Wine Travel Awards in the Wine and Food Influencer category of “The Brightest Journey”— public voting ends March 31st so I need YOU to vote for me please! It’s fast, it’s easy and it’s here: just click this link to my profile where you can learn more about me and vote for me!

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