About the Winemaker

Kathleen Inman is the owner, winemaker, and general manager of Inman Family Wines and Olivet Grange Vineyard in Sonoma County, California.

A Napa Valley native, Inman started Inman Family Wines in 2000 with the planting of OGV 10.45-acre estate in the heart of the Russian River Valley. She currently produces Pinot Noir, an intentional direct-to-press Rosé of Pinot Noir called Endless Crush®, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Extra Brut Luxe Cuvée, Brut Rosé, and a Blanc de Noir.

Inman endeavors to produce wines that are naturally low in alcohol, high in acid, and food friendly. Often an innovator and trend-setter, Inman was the first new California luxury brand to launch using 100% Stelvin® closures in 2002 and was a pioneer in the revival of California rosé, producing her best-selling Endless Crush ® rosé since 2004, long before they became a staple in California wineries.

Through the vineyard and winery, Inman has been able to meld her passion for Pinot Noir and what she calls her “eco-ethics”–sensitive farming, natural winemaking and environmentally responsible business practices. She works fervently to grow grapes and to make wines as naturally as possible to ensure they embody not only the pure personality of the grapes from which they’re made, but also the singular character of the place where they’re grown, while at the same time making the smallest impact possible on the land, water, and air. Inman farms without synthetic chemicals and is proud that her property has been certified sustainable by Sonoma County since 2016.

Inman’s passion for the environment was further embodied through her design of the Inman Family Winery, which is made almost entirely from recycled materials, is solar-powered and recycles all of the winery graywater. The winery has an electric vehicle charging station, which when originally installed was the first privately owned, publicly available station in the North Bay; it is connected directly to the winery’s solar array, off the grid.

In 2011, Inman Family Wines was awarded the Best Practices Award from the Business Environmental Alliance of Sonoma County Award, and in 2012, Kathleen Inman was awarded the Rising Star Winemaker Award by Women for WineSense, while in 2020 she was chosen as the years Wine, Beer & Spirits Industry Award Winner — Winery Owner & Winemaker from the North Bay Business Journal.

Inman’s love of wine began in a wine class she took from a local wine merchant while a student at UCSB. She started her career in England where she lived for 16 years after college, beginning as a trainee chartered accountant at a large international firm and later obtained an MBA at University of Bradford. Before returning to California in 1998, she was an executive search consultant at the UK’s largest search firm.

Kathleen lives with her husband Simon and cats, Hattie and Mabel. She has two grown daughters, Ashley and Meredith, and granddaughters, Ada, Robin, and Sophie. Beyond the world of wine, Kathleen’s passions include cooking, gardening, spending time in England and walking the countryside surrounding Bath, and winning at Scrabble.