Ampelos Cellars Takes You to Funky Town

Over the past two decades, Peter and Rebecca Work clicked all the correct boxes to become successful, prominent, and influential vintners in Santa Barbara County: planting primarily pinot noir vines in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills; building an urban winery and tasting room in Lompoc; creating a soulful brand called Ampelos Cellars; leading the shift toward biodynamic and organic grape-growing; developing a custom crush business with the likes of Kurt Russell and Kate Hudson as clients; and serving on numerous boards near and far.

In most measurable ways, the formula worked, leading to plenty of fans, steady sales, and a good life. But as the Works — who came into wine at midlife after successful corporate careers — approach what most would consider retirement age, they’re repeatedly reminded that the hands-on vintner’s life is never an easy one. Getting up before dawn to fix a busted sprinkler head, it turns out, is a little easier in your forties than it is in your sixties, as is working around the clock during harvest and taking red-eyes across the globe to sell wine. 

Though the Works briefly put their vineyard on the market in 2020 — there weren’t any serious bites — they’re still not throwing in any towels. In fact, while they’re scaling back on how much wine they make overall, they’ve launched a brand new label called Funky Town. The official strategy is to appeal to younger generations of wine drinkers, but the project is just as much about keeping the wine business fun and exciting for the Works.