In this episode of Wine World TV I had the distinct pleasure to meet Ridgely Evers. After being behind some important software in the 20th century, he was drawn to wine and decided to start AVIVO Wines. We talk about his background and his goals with agriculture and how that translates into his wines.
Links for the show:
AVIVO Wines (there’s no tasting room per se, but I believe the wines are made at his other place DaVero – the grapes come from Lodi) – https://avivowines.com
The Institute of Masters of Wine – Joel Butler MW – https://www.mastersofwine.org/joel-butler-mwJOel Butler
Oregon Wine Press – Mingling with a Master – https://www.oregonwinepress.com/article?articleId=1697
SauceAndBites – The Distinction Between a Master Sommelier and a Master of Wine: Unveiling the Differences – https://sauceandbites.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-master-sommelier-and-a-master-of-wine/
Wikipedia – Lucca – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucca
DaVero Farms & Winery (where the olive grove started. They also make a line of wines from here and this is where the AVIVO wines are made as well AFAIK) – https://davero.com
Vino Farms, LLC – the source of the AVIVO Wines grapes – Craig Ledbetter is the vineyard manager – https://lodigrowers.com/directory/growerandsupplierdirectory/vino-farms-llc-2/
Rosenthal Wine Merchant – Paolo and Giampiero Bea (the Sagrantino Ridgely talked about – this is the importer’s website as they don’t have their own) – https://www.rosenthalwinemerchant.com/growers/paolo-and-giampiero-bea-97/
Serendipity Wines – Paolo Bea – Sagrantino di Montefalco Pagliaro (a little bit more info) – https://serendipitywines.com/product/paolo-bea-sagrantino-di-montefalco-pagliaro/
Château Mouton Rothschild – https://www.chateau-mouton-rothschild.com
Wikipedia – Château Pétrus (they don’t have a website) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_Pétrus
Wikipedia – Biodynamic agriculture – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Wikipedia – Regenerative agriculture – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_agriculture
Wikipedia – Organic farming – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming
Wikipedia – QuickBooks – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickBooks
Innerplant – Regenerative Farmer and Six-Time CEO Who Led Creation of Intuit’s QuickBooks Joins InnerPlant as Advisor (more background on Ridgely from 2021) – https://innerplant.com/regenerative-farmer-and-six-time-ceo-who-led-creation-of-intuits-quickbooks-joins-innerplant-as-advisor/
YouTube – Wine World TV – Farming Practices Playlist (skip to the 6th, 7th, and 8th videos for Biodynamic and Regenerative) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxvhd6T6VSM&list=PL2uz6kAWvoZDLQKdRvEGEhvb4x_MjDDHe
Kiss the Ground – https://kissthegroundmovie.com
USDA – Organic Certification – https://www.usda.gov/farming-and-ranching/organic-farming/organic-certification
Demeter International – The main world-wide Biodynamic certification body – https://demeter.net/certification/
AGW – A Greener World – One of a couple Regenerative Agriculture Certification bodies – https://agreenerworld.org/certifications/certified-regenerative/
Vinetur – Moderate Wine Consumption Lowers Mortality Risk Compared to Beer and Spirits, Study Finds (plain English version) – https://www.vinetur.com/en/2026032498054/moderate-wine-consumption-lowers-mortality-risk-compared-to-beer-and-spirits-study-finds.html
ResearchGate – Total and beverage-specific alcohol use at mid-life and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a prospective cohort study (nerdy scientific version) – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/410693311_Total_and_beverage-specific_alcohol_use_at_mid-life_and_all-cause_and_cause-specific_mortality_a_prospective_cohort_study
JACC Journals – 26-A-9249-ACC ALCOHOL USE AT MID-LIFE AND ALL-CAUSE AND CAUSE-SPECIFIC MORTALITY (same as above, just the initial publication in March of 2026) – https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2026.02.725
Wine World TV – Interview – Neo-Prohibitionism w/Amy Gross – Episode #186 – https://wineworldtv.com/wwtv/2025/03/17/interview-neo-prohibitionism-w-amy-gross-episode-186
TTB – Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau – Wine and Juice Treating Materials and Processes for Domestic Wine Production – AKA “The List” – to be fair, just because it’s on the list, doesn’t mean a winery uses it. And some of these things have been used for centuries in the production of wine, most have not however – https://www.ttb.gov/regulated-commodities/beverage-alcohol/wine/treating-materials
EUR-Lex – Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/934 (short name for EU law regarding production of wine – Go to Table 2 of ANNEX 1 for their list) – https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02019R0934-20241229
Winefo – How to Comply with European Wine Labelling Regulations in 2026 – https://www.winefo.eu/post/eu-wine-label-compliance-2026
Ridge Vineyards – A Deep Dive Into The RIDGE Label – https://www.ridgewine.com/about/news/a-deep-dive-into-the-ridge-label/
CBC – Okanagan wildfires hurting tourism in B.C. towns hundreds of kilometres away – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/columbia-valley-wildfire-smoke-9.7305996
Wikipedia – Pear drop – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pear_drop
