"From the earth in the vineyard, to the grapes on the vine, to the blend in the bottle...every step is a hands on commitment to gain that perfect balance of discipline and artistry that yields truly great wine.  This is our true passion." 

Pete Kight’s passionate interest in wine and the science of grape growing led him on a quest in search of just the right vineyards and winery location.  On a second trip to Australia, over a late evening barbeque at the house of famous Torbreck winemaker Dave Powell, the two friends agreed to work together to find the right place.  With Dave flying over to help several times that spring, and after several false starts, Pete focused on the beautiful rural setting and Rhone-like terroir of the Dry Creek Valley.

He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of CheckFree Corporation, a leading global provider of financial technology services and infrastructure that enables the electronic movement and management of personal and business finances.  It is estimated that CheckFree electronic payment services, as the backbone to a majority of the U.S. electronic banking systems, is responsible for replacing paper checks and bills that would have used over 100 million trees.

"I love varietals that Dry Creek gives us the opportunity to produce.  Perhaps my biggest surprise is to find how challenging it is to consistently grow really great Zinfandel.  It is a grape that is probably harder to grow than the more famously fickle Pinot Noir...it's large clusters are prone to botrytis, the thin skins will sun burn, the head training takes time and discipline and reduces yield but creates superior fruit to cordons...it's a fabulous challenge.

"Right now I'm most excited about our discovery of the very high quality of our Grenache vineyards.  It's a beautiful varietal, with nuanced depth and balance and great flavor characters when done right...and we have these unbelievable TCV clones in perfect Rhone-like terroir.  The distributors tell us not to do it, the retailers tell us no one is the U.S. comes in asking for it, and most restaurants don't have a category listing for it...perfect type of challenge for us!  That's why we're here."

"A winemaker cannot improve on the grapes he receives...it's an old truism, but it's exactly why I was so excited to accept Pete's challenge to take on the vineyard management responsibility.  Growing the wine is the way to make truly great wine.  As winemaker, my goal is to interfere as little as possible in creating the balance that will enable the wine to show its richest varietal qualities."

A Boston native, Steven Canter came to California in 1996 to pursue his dream of winemaking. Over the course of ten years, Steven gained experience in more than seventeen vintages by working various dual seasons in the U.S., Australia, South Africa, Spain and Italy.

Steven believes pro-active organic and Biodynamic farming leads to vibrant, better tasting fruit.  As a chef-he is perhaps the only eight year old in history to ask his parents for cooking utensils for Christmas--Steven has the palate of an artist.  Matching that artistry with the discipline inherent in Biodynamic winegrowing is a significant advantage for Quivira.  As Steven walks the vineyards every Monday with noted Biodynamic vineyard consultant Alan York, he is quite literally working on growing the wine in the vineyard.

Steven spent four vintages as assistant to Dave Powell at Torbreck in Australia's Barossa Valley, working on some of the world's greatest wines.  Dave helped develop Steven's focus on "extraction without weight," by giving Steven a ton of grapes and challenging him to prove his skill.  It was Dave Powell who recommended Steven for Quivira's winemaker.

"Every winemaker today who wants to make genuinely great wine is challenged with the fact that the big scores are going predominantly to the heavily extracted wines.  The critics go in cycles but for now, one needs to stay focused on the wine we want to produce, on the balance of richness and depth that best displays the characteristics of the varietal and its terroir.  Great wine will find its audience..."