Alex Baer didn’t grow up as a generational winemaker. It wasn’t until he was a sophomore in high school that wine became a part of his life. His parents’ company had contracted to make a small condo atop a barn on a vineyard. His father finessed one ton of Petite Sirah into the contract. Shoveling grapes into a destemmer late into the evening in 2007 was his first exposure to the vinification and winemaking process.
He graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Enology, and a minor in Agricultural Business. His wine career has included stints at Clos Solène, Chateau Petrus, Domaine la Barroche and Sine Qua Non.
While working at SQN, Alex decided to make a small amount of wine from a particular area of his family's vineyard. The plan was to continue to work full time at SQN, and when he had time, drive back to make what would become Un Petit Début. After much thought and deliberation, he decided to make the leap and commit to his winery full time. He opened Allbaer Winery in 2018.
““I started the brand because I had plateaued in my career. I had worked for so many incredible producers. Those people had already accomplished goals that I could never have imagined. My work for them was to help maintain that consistency of quality they had already established. I hadn’t been a defining figure in their success. ALLBAER gives me the opportunity to create something from scratch. My work with this brand will show what I’m capable of doing. It will be a trial by fire. I’ll learn through successes and failures like all new brands.” ”