Our Story
We needed to live our lives a certain way - right sized.
Ken Swegles
Founder
Ken entered the world of wine as a harvest intern at Byington Winery in 2007. He later joined a small family vineyard in Zayante, gaining a robust foundation in pruning and canopy management. In 2008, he worked harvest under David Bruce becoming a vineyard foreman and pupil of Mark Greenspan, before moving on to the Viticulture program at UC Davis. Following, Ken branched out to explore other territories of California, spending two years working for Williams Selyem in the Russian River Valley.
He returned to the Santa Cruz Mountains in 2012, whereupon completing five seasons of viticulture practice at Rhys Vineyards, Ken accepted a position as assistant winemaker with Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. Carrying two years of cellar time at SCMV, Ken joined Coastal Range Vineyards where he managed over 100 vineyards across the Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley. With passion as a driving force, Ken founded Rhizos Viticulture™ in 2017, where he now rehabilitates and manages vineyards through the exclusive practices of regenerative agriculture.
Abbey Chrystal
Abbey developed her love for wine as a graduate student in paleo marine geochemistry at UCSC. She became an integral member of the local wine community while working for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards, and farming at Branciforte Creek Vineyard. Brought on under Randall Grahm, she expanded her craft in the cellar and laboratory of Bonny Doon Vineyards. Today Abbey shares her time farming Ascona Vineyard with Ken, and representing Vintage 59 Imports.