Our Mission
Post & Trellis specializes in the design, installation and management of new premium vineyards, remediation of existing vineyards, and client-based winemaking services. We provide San Francisco Peninsula property owners with access to the world of premium grape growing and world class winemaking along with the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of vineyards.
Key Principals:
About Ken, Vineyard Director
Ken Wornick and his team manage some of the most admired vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Ken began his career with a degree in Geology in 1980, followed by geology fieldwork around the world for the Bechtel Corporation and then an MBA. Since 1989 he’s combined that education with deep experience earned in his family’s vineyards, in internships at several of the most respected Napa wineries, in selling fruit to noted wineries in Napa, in numerous extension courses with the viticulture and enology department at U.C. Davis, in founding the much loved La Honda Winery in 1999 and in his management of several dozen immaculate private estate vineyards. Ken has become a widely acknowledged expert in managing terroir and winemaking.
In 2009 Ken was elected by his colleagues to the Board of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association. When not in the winery or vineyards, Ken can found prowling the west coast on his motorcycle, following the Giants, and, along with his wife Cynthia, seeing their three children off to college.
About Colin, Winemaker
Colin McNany originally joined La Honda Winery as assistant winemaker and quickly established himself among our team and community due to a startlingly clear winemaking talent and some increasingly wonderful wines. He now manages our winemaking day to day with Ken’s counsel and direction.
Previously, Colin acquired significant expertise working alongside talented local winemakers at a number of local Santa Cruz Mountain wineries including Byington and Bargetto. He has also worked at the world class Martinborough winery in New Zealand and travelled extensively on wine expeditions to locations such as Chile and Argentina.
Colin is a graduate from U.C. Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies with a focus on sustainable agriculture and viticulture. When not nurturing vines and wines, Colin can be found surfing the coast and diving for Abalone.
About David, General Manager
David Page grew up in England and France working often with his father Ivor who managed several winemaking families’ (including Calvet in Bordeaux, Thorin in Burgundy, Dehours in Champagne) interests abroad. A graduate of Oxford University, he came to San Francisco from London in 2001 to continue a senior management career in technology startups and get to know Californian wine.
After realizing the epic quality and potential within the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA he decided to return full time to his wine roots and join the La Honda team. David oversees all commercial aspects of our business and is expanding vineyard operations and services.
When not glued to a phone or laptop, David hunts down the best Californian wineries, camping, snow and trails.
Favorable Press
Post & Trellis has been featured in the national edition of Forbes and Fortune magazines, the San Francisco Chronicle and various wine industry press throughout the US and beyond.
A brief note on vineyard development
Nearly all of the age-old assumptions of vineyard installation and management are under review by those at the cutting edge of the wine industry. Examples include moving away from heavy row tillage and plowing, and moving toward cover crops and a no-till management philosophy; moving away from synthetic fertilizers towards organic and bio-intense approaches such as worm castings, sea kelp, foliar sprays, and composting. When it comes to grape quality in the pursuit of fine wine, there are many alternative canopy and training regimens to consider. A strong argument can be mounted for moving toward specialized clones, low vigor rootstocks, tighter row and plant spacing, and aggressive shoot thinning – all with the objective of a more intense yet balanced wine.
One current industry debate concerns varietal options. If one were to ‘wipe the slate clean’ and look out into the world for weather, soil, and geographical features that are similar to California, we might not look to France, as has been the historical tradition, but rather to Italy and Spain. Whereas France’s Bordeaux and Burgundy regions often have mid- and late-season rain and generally more cloudy summer weather and flatter topography, Italy and Spain enjoy hotter days and bluer skies during harvest, and are generally more arid and mountainous, as with Northern California. While we do not forecast that Cabernet will lose its title as the ‘king of varietals’, we do believe an opportunity exists for new vineyards and wineries to set themselves apart by pursuing creative Old World varietal opportunities.