Conduit & Divergent Vine - 'Gold Dust Vineyard' - Aaron Bryan & Amy Krahe

Conduit Wine at The Gold Dust Vineyard is located high in the Sierra-Nevada Foothills (820m) in the small American Viticulture Area of Fair Play.

Our winery is completely family-owned, operated, and organically farmed.  We produce natural, low-intervention wines without the use of chemicals or additives, all-native fermentations, and bottle without fining or filtration. Our outdoor tasting room provides spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and we also offer tent camping, RV, and “glamping” options for customers interested in staying on the property. We are conveniently located between Yosemite and South Lake Tahoe, making us a natural stop for travelers to some of California’s most inspiring destinations.

Our estate “Gold Dust Vineyard” is dry-farmed organically, employing only light, organic sprays for powdery mildew management and occasionally (as needed) organic nutrients. We farm our small vineyard without the use of herbicides or pesticides and only water when absolutely necessary in times of severe heat.  We purchased and began the organic conversion of the vineyard in 2020, which just recently makes us eligible for organic designation. The process of certification in America is long and costly for small producers, but we are looking into getting officially certified this calendar year (2025).

My cellar procedures are rather simple. I do not pitch yeast, I only employ native yeasts using spontaneous fermentation. I do not fine or filter my wines, nor do I use any clarification agents. I use no temperature controls during fermentation, nor do I use gas during racking (which I only employ sparingly...I keep the movement of my wines to a bare minimum). I do use argon gas to cleanse pre-bottling tanks of oxygen before performing my pre-bottle tank blending. I also use argon to purge bottles during bottling to protect wine for long-term aging/storage. Simply put, my ingredients include organically farmed grapes, native yeast, and a small amount of SO2 before bottling. All of my grapes are hand-picked/hand-harvested. That's it.