Callaway Vineyard & Winery Continues Growth
New Winemaker Joins the Temecula Valley Winery

After growing up in the town of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Craig began his working career as a graphic artist. European wines had been a hobby since his youth and years later, Craig abandoned graphic artistry to pursue his dream of becoming a Winemaker. In the beginning, he worked in the cellars of several Washington State wineries and received hands-on experience with some of the area’s most respected winemakers.

Craig’s formal training began in 1996 at the Covey Run Winery in Zillah, Washington. Within one year, he accepted the postion of Cellar Master at the Paul Thomas Winery in Sunnyside, Washington and then became the Assistant to the Winemaker at the Washington Hills Winery.

In order to expand his knowledge of world-wild wines, Craig received his certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers and joined the renowned Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, California as its Wine Director and Sommelier. This invaluable experience exposed him to a wide variety of fine wines and instilled him with an enthusiasm to produce the best vintages possible when he returned to wine production in 2002.

Craig’s most recent position has been as the Winemaker at Maryhill Winery in south central Washington State where he had the opportunity to produce quality wines from a vast array of varietals.

From creating award-winning wines, to producing a wine label from its inception, Craig is looking forward to bringing his passion for Old World wines joined with New World winemaking techniques to the Temecula Valley. He believes that great wine starts in the vineyard and continues in the cellar with a combination of science, palate, passion and teamwork.

“My focus is to produce small lots of high quality wines with definitive varietal character and emphasis on food friendly wine”, states Larson.

Callaway Vineyard & Winery, privately owned by the Lin family of San Diego, was originally founded by Ely Callaway in 1969. The time honored, Callaway tradition continues in creating wines that retain their natural fruit flavors and aromas and that are fruit forward and food friendly.