In mid-2020, when Anderson Valley wine pioneer Milla Handley died from complications of COVID-19, Courtney DeGraff realized that stories of the valley’s founding winemakers needed to be documented before it was too late. In 2021 and 2022 she obtained quotes to produce a regional documentary, only to learn that the project was cost-prohibitive.
“Every important wine region has a story about their appellation and how it came to be, but we just hadn’t gotten there yet,” said DeGraff, who is Executive Director of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association. “Then when Milla passed away I thought, ‘oh my gosh, we lost a legend, and nobody captured her story.’ I knew it was really important to do that for those still active in our community, especially since they are getting older.”
Sparked by a media roundtable discussion at Handley Cellars in 2023 that featured several of the founders, Courtney and the AVWA’s Media Relations Manager Barbara Barrielle came up with the idea to gather their stories into a documentary. Barbara had filmmaking experience and agreed to direct and produce, and they contracted local photographer/videographer Kellen Lim of Twin Giants Media to shoot and edit.
The short film, titled “Anderson Valley: A Coastal Love Affair with Wine,” was shot between October and December 2023 and focuses on the origin of the AV appellation and the stories of the figures behind it. Some of them are self-described “old hippies” who moved to the valley in their twenties as part of the “back to the land” movement of the late 60s, while others are from the second or third generation of family-owned wineries.
“It was a labor of love on a shoestring budget,” said DeGraff, who served as the film’s executive producer. “It really happened because of the dedication and passion that Barbara and Kellen have as filmmakers, and their love of the Anderson Valley.”
Featured winegrowers include Brad Wiley of Wiley Vineyards, Norman and Theresia Kobler of the former Lazy Creek Vineyards, Ted Bennett and Deborah Cahn of Navarro Vineyards, Zac Robinson of Husch Vineyards, Allan Green of Greenwood Ridge, and Lulu Handley of Handley Cellars.
Filming proceeded without a hitch, save for some minor hiccups, such as the time that Ted and Deborah’s dogs burst into the interview room and naturally interrupted the discussion and filming. “Kellen got so flustered,” Barbara later reported. “I thought he was going to have a heart attack!”
The film had its premiere on June 2 in the “Reel Mendo” program of the Mendocino Film Festival, and is available online to watch here. It will also be screened at Cinema in the Vineyards this fall.
Barrielle intends to enter the film into several film festivals in 2024, which she hopes will raise the profile of Anderson Valley wines both nationally and internationally.
According to DeGraff, the plan is to make two more documentaries about the evolution of the Anderson Valley wine industry: one focusing on sparkling wine, and the other focusing on the rise of pinot noir. Stay tuned for more details in upcoming issues of this magazine.
For more information about Anderson Valley wines, visit https://www.youtube.com/@avwines or https://avwines.com.
