Bruce Freeman outside the Clos des Amis winery in 2021

Over twenty five years ago, Wall Street journalists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher realized there was a problem common to many wine lovers: they would hold on to special bottles waiting for that very special occasion to open it up. This is a problem because not all wines are built to age and not everyone has proper storage for their wine meaning that the wines can go bad before they are enjoyed. So the couple invented one of the first “wine holidays” — and named the final Saturday in February “Open That Bottle Night.” About that same time, Bruce Freeman was experimenting with wine making in his Ramona Street garage located off Ventura Avenue in Westside Ventura using fruit he helped farm and people gave him in exchange for a case or two of the completed wine. A professional artist and an inventive person Continue reading →