The story of Ruth Lewandowski wines began when a young man named Evan moved to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah and more importantly, to ski. He found a job working at the wine bar The Spotted Frog (since closed), where he met then owner, and now national wine importer, Zev Rovine. This was where the seed was planted that would eventually grow into a career as one of America's most respected and buzzed about natural winemakers.

The foundation for his success began with stints around the world at top producers. He worked for Tenute Loacker, Torbreck, Cape Jaffa Wines, L’Ecole No. 41, Quintessa Winery, Bodega Colome, Quivira Vineyards, Oakvale Wines, and finally Domaine Binner, the indispensable guru of natural wines in Alsace. These wineries, while exceedingly diverse when it comes to styles and terroir, are all deeply committed to producing wine that both represent and respect the land that they come from.

After working at Binner’s in Alsace for several years, Evan moved back to his adopted state of Utah in 2012 to start his own small project. The idea was to eventually plant vineyards and produce 100% grown and made in Utah wines. At first he purchased his fruit from Fox Hill Vineyard and Testa Vineyard in Mendocino County. He would head out there with a refrigerated Uhaul truck, pick very early in the morning and then haul the organic, dry-farmed and grape, often obscure varieties, back to his home in Salt Lake City to complete fermentation, aging and bottling.

Eventually the quality of fruit and the Golden State gravitational pull led him to move his whole operation to California in 2018. The wines L shaped labels are a continuing tribute to the state where his winemaking adventure was born. His winemaking philosophy remains the same; working with only the best possible fruit grown in a regenerative manner, and then treating that pristine fruit with the respect it deserves. All wines are made without the addition of anything except for an occasion he will add a small amount of sulfur if he deems a wine in need of it.

You may be wondering where the name Ruth Lewandowski comes from. Lewandowski is Evans last name and Ruth comes from Evan’s favorite book of the Bible. The Book of Ruth weaves stories of death and redemption, illustrating the connection between life and death. Nothing living today could be so without something having died first. This cycle is integral to everything that Evan does and he honores it with labels that show the death of an animal and the life springing forth because of it.

Evan’s wines are lithe, acid driven and focused. They are tributes to the life in the vineyards as well as the living wine in each bottle.