The inception of Fore Family Vineyards started with a surprise, an opportunity, and a moment of brief insanity. 

Around 1994, Jim Fore had been working as an engineer draftsman at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, CA designing piping schematics for submarines. When they announced the closure of the shipyard, he was given the chance to re-evaluate his career path, or move to Washington to work at their shipyard. Jim knew he wanted to be more connected to the land with his next path in life. There were a few considerations – become chicken farmers in Ohio, catfish and cucumbers in Lodi, or stay around Napa where he grew up, and farm wine grapes.

Luckily for us, he already had a home winemaking hobby with two close friends. They would purchase second crops from Napa vineyards and make the wine at one of his neighbors and winemaking partners garage-winery.

Since 2005, Fore Family Vineyards has expanded to producing an average of 1000 cases of wine per year, entirely of the grapes they grow. Primarily still a grape growing business, their goal is to produce all thirteen varietals that they farm in Napa and Lake County into wines under their brand.

I want to continue to farm the highest quality grape, to the best of my ability and accept what the mountain gives us.

– Jim Fore