What Regenerative Means to Us
“Regenerating ecosystems, relationships, and craft” has become something of a quiet compass for us at Alta Orsa. It is a simple phrase, but one we return to often because it speaks to the way we want to farm, make wine, and live on this land…
Because when those relationships are restored, something more than healthy vines emerges. The wines become more expressive. The work becomes more meaningful. And the land begins to tell its story more clearly.
A Guide to Hopland for Visitors of Oscar’s Place
Oscar's Place is a donkey rescue, adoption center, and sanctuary located in Hopland, California. Founded in 2021 by Ron King and Phil Selway after Ron witnessed the grim fate of unwanted donkeys headed to slaughter, Oscar's Place has since grown into a two-location operation spanning Hopland and Potter Valley, with capacity for up to 500 donkeys. Every animal receives daily one-on-one care, and many go on to be adopted into permanent homes. It is a place, as they put it, where healing happens every day — for donkeys and the people who love them.
Visit Mendo (pt 3 of 3)
Anderson Valley has a way of slowing you down without you noticing. The two-lane road through Boonville and Philo winds past apple orchards and old-growth redwoods, past family vineyards and roadside farm stands, and somewhere around the third bend you realize you've stopped checking your phone. The fog holds late into the morning here, the kind that softens everything and makes the light feel borrowed.
On the drive back toward the Bay, heading south on 101 through Hopland, it's worth pulling off for one more stop. Alta Orsa sits up in the mountains above town on what was once the Topel Winery estate -- a 160-acre property that feels more like a working farm than a tasting room. The vineyards are organic, dry-farmed on the hillside, tended by the same crew for over two decades. The wines are made with as little intervention as possible: native ferments, no fining, no filtering. What ends up in the glass is the place itself, which, after a day in Anderson Valley, is exactly what you were after.
Visit Mendo (pt 1 of 3)
Visiting Mendocino County: A Hopland Weekend
Mendocino County is an easy weekend trip from just about anywhere. It’s about two hours north of San Francisco, two hours west of Sacramento, and a rewarding rest stop along Highways 1 or 101. Within the county’s nearly 4,000 square miles are strikingly different climates and cultures, from fog-covered redwoods to sunlit inland valleys. Each one offers something that will surprise or delight.
This is part one of a three-part series highlighting Mendocino’s most inviting corners. Wherever your travels take you, we invite you to make an appointment to visit Alta Orsa Winery in Hopland. Our mountainside estate offers a chance to slow down and connect with the land, the craft, and one another. We like to think of Alta Orsa as the perfect gateway into Mendocino County, and we would love to share part of your day.
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Travel Tip: A Scenic Route to the Coast
If you are heading to the town of Mendocino, skip the usual route up Highway 128 from Cloverdale. Instead, drive north to Hopland and take Mountain House Road. This winding, pastoral stretch leads through oak woodlands and quiet valleys, offering one of the most beautiful drives in Northern California.
Need more help planning your trip? Local resources such as Visit Mendocino and Visit Ukiah are excellent guides. And of course, we are always happy to help you build your itinerary around a visit to Alta Orsa Winery, the heart of Hopland’s quiet wine country.
Full Circle Wool Collaboration
Alta Orsa deepens its commitment to regenerative practices by experimenting with adding sheep to the estate this winter.
