Once in a while, offer to shadow someone at work who simply loves what they do. Having a job that makes you feel like you’re living the dream is really what life’s all about. People who have mastered this take their craft to another level. By nature, these people can be meek so you may have to be attentive or look differently in the most seemingly ordinary places. But super heroes like them live amongst us and their stories are always inspiring.

Ann Kraemer from Yorba Wines is a vineyard super hero. What she knows about viticulture is astounding. Known as “The Vine Tender” of Shake Ridge, she took her extensive experience in Napa to Sutter Creek where her sustainable farming practices yield delicious fruit and vivacious wines. She is so attentive to her vines that she even has a strategy to make sure the grapes don’t sunburn. No, it doesn’t include SPF. She plants them in the appropriate direction for the appropriate amount of sunlight year round. The end result is her wines are all so succulent you may have trouble deciding which ones to buy. She ensures they have crisp acidity yet ripe fruit for balanced and complex structure.

Vineyard Tour:

More from my vine adventures in this region.