Harvest has a way of bringing the whole family together. Over the years I've worn just about every hat in the winery — vineyard with my dad, cellar with Hoss, tasting room, warehouse, distribution. Last week I was pouring our wines in Tahoe with my cousin Daniel, who's also 4th generation. And the 5th generation? My two boys, eating every grape they can get their hands on.
- Four generations of Brutocaos showing up at harvest in different ways
- Kevin in Tahoe pouring wines with 4th-gen cousin Daniel
- Daniel is bringing data expertise and tech upgrades to the winery
- The 5th generation: two young boys eating every grape they can grab
- Family is the through-line — vineyards, wines, values, traditions
Harvest has a way of bringing the whole family together. I'm proud to be part of the 4th generation here at Brutocao Family Vineyards, and lately, I've been reminded how deep these roots run.
Every Hat in the Winery
Over the years I've worn just about every hat in the winery. From the vineyard with my dad, to working for Hoss in the cellar. Then there's the tasting room, the warehouse, and distribution. Each one of those jobs taught me something different about how this place actually works — and made me a better fit for the marketing and digital side I do now. You don't really understand a winery until you've moved a pallet, poured a flight, or watched a fermentation through.
Pouring in Tahoe with Cousin Daniel
Last week, I was in South Lake Tahoe pouring our family wines at a tasting with my cousin Daniel. He's also 4th generation, and has recently been diving deeper into the family business. Daniel has been helping our Grandma and lending his data expertise to bring new ideas and tech upgrades to the winery.
It was a good reminder that family doesn't all show up in the same way. Some of us are in the cellar. Some are in the rows. Some are figuring out how to make the back office run smarter. All of it adds up to the same thing — making sure the wines that leave Hopland represent what four generations of farming this land have built.
The 5th Generation, Already at Work
And then there's the 5th generation — my two boys. They're still too young for forklifts, but they already love harvest in their own way (eating every grape they get their hands on). Watching them do that makes me think about the legacy we're carrying on — not just the vineyards and wines, but the values and traditions that tie us all together.
Family has always been at the heart of what we do, and I'm grateful you're part of this journey with us. If you want to be a part of it more often, our wine club ships our wines four times a year, and you're always welcome to visit us in Hopland.
Cheers,
Kevin Brutocao
Kevin Brutocao is the 4th-generation Marketing & Digital Director at Brutocao Family Vineyards, where his family has farmed estate vineyards in Hopland, Mendocino County since 1943.
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