We like to get our hands dirty.
Our vines are hand-managed and our grapes are hand-picked.
El Mochuelo’s proprietors, Grant McDonald and Cheryl Imperatori, are the driving forces behind El Mochuelo Viñedo. We both enjoy farming so we are involved in all aspects of our vineyard management including pruning, shoot thinning, leaf stripping, spray management, fruit thinning, and picking. We even handpick the weeds in our vineyard, which isn’t either of our favorite jobs.
Sustainably farmed, with love.
As a sustainable farm, and the land we live on, we manage our grapes with care. We want our wines to be an expression of our unique place or terroir. We want to do as little wine making intervention as possible.
Mochuelo is the Spanish word for little owl.
We have Great Horn and Screech Owls that regularly visit our property. Cheryl has always loved owls so getting to hear them hoot hoot in the wee hours of the morning was an unplanned bonus of owning our vineyard.
Images of Owls Paintings by artist Karen Tarlton, Karen’s Fine Art.
Team Members
Grant McDonald
Grant grew up in an agricultural community in the Central Valley of California, and first discovered an interest in Wine in the early 1980s. With a few close friends studying Viticulture & Enology at U.C. Davis, Grant tagged along on day trips to Napa Valley and fell in love with wine.
After deciding to plant the vineyard, Grant completed Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology Certificate programs. Not only was this instruction invaluable in helping make decisions in the vineyard, but the program also introduced him to several of the leading wine scientists and educators in Washington, or for that matter – the world.
Cheryl Imperatori
Cheryl brings extensive knowledge and background in our industry. With 8 years of experience with a wine distribution company and another 5 years in a great wine shop, she helps us continue to grow as a vineyard and provide grapes for local wineries.
While Grant is primarily responsible for the wine making, Cheryl has an incredible palate. In fact, Grant admits she’s much better at forecasting the future maturation and flavor profile of our wines.
“Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, Make the sage frolic, and the serious smile”
— Homer