Ruth Lewandowski Wines
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Country of Origin: USA
Location: Mendocino
People: Evan Lewandowski, Owner & Winemaker | Sara Morgenstern, Director of Operations
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
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Ruth Lewandowski Wines is the personal and passionate project of winemaker Evan Lewandowski, whose journey into natural wine began in an unlikely place: Salt Lake City, Utah. Originally moving there to attend the University of Utah (and, truthfully, to ski), Evan found his way into wine through a job at the now-closed wine bar The Spotted Frog. It was there that he met Zev Rovine, then the owner and now a prominent natural wine importer. That introduction lit a spark, and Evan’s curiosity soon turned into a full-blown pursuit.
To deepen his winemaking knowledge, Evan traveled the world, working harvests at renowned wineries including Tenute Loacker (Italy), Torbreck and Cape Jaffa (Australia), L’Ecole No. 41 and Quintessa (USA), Bodega Colomé (Argentina), Oakvale (Australia), Quivira (USA), and ultimately Domaine Binner in Alsace, where he trained under natural wine pioneer Christian Binner. Along the way, he earned a degree from the Walla Walla Institute for viticulture and enology.
In 2012, Evan returned to Utah to start Ruth Lewandowski Wines, named not for a person, but after his favorite book in the Old Testament. The Book of Ruth, which centers on the themes of death and redemption, mirrors Evan’s philosophy on both farming and winemaking: that life is born from death—physically, spiritually, and agriculturally. As Evan puts it, “Death is the engine of life.”
With an eventual goal of cultivating Alsatian varieties in Utah’s high desert, Evan began by sourcing organic, dry-farmed, and often obscure grape varieties from Fox Hill Vineyard and Testa Vineyard in Mendocino County. He would ferment, age, and bottle the wines back in Salt Lake City after hauling the fruit in a refrigerated U-Haul—a true labor of love.
From the outset, Evan has followed a hands-off approach to craft honest, soulful wines. He uses no additives: no acid, no sugar, no water, no tannin, no filtration, and no cultured yeast. Sulfites are used only minimally, if at all, depending on the cuvée. His wines have earned acclaim for their fierce individuality, purity, and natural vibrancy. The playful carbonic co-ferment Feints has even drawn comparisons to Frank Cornelissen’s Susucaru Rosso.
In 2018, a new chapter began when Evan partnered with longtime friend and Idlewild Wines founder Sam Bilbro. Together, they steward Lost Hills Ranch in the Yorkville Highlands AVA—a stunning, rugged property ranging from 1,000 to 2,200 feet in elevation, with soils of sandstone and chlorite schist. The vineyard is farmed holistically and organically, with a focus on regenerative agriculture and minimal human interference. This partnership led Evan to relocate his entire winemaking operation to California, where he shares a facility with Sam.
Though Ruth Lewandowski Wines now calls Mendocino home, the signature L-shaped labels still pay tribute to Evan’s Utah roots. Each bottle is a narrative—raw, real, and reflective of the soil, the season, and the soul behind it.
