Grower Spotlight: Cat’s Paw Vineyard

Photo credit: Karen Pavone

When Buz and Terry Dereniuk were envisioning their future retirement chapter in 2004, growing winegrapes was the furthest thing from their minds.

At least that idea had not occurred to Terry—-until the couple’s realtor asked what they were looking for in their dream property. To her surprise, Buz answered without hesitation, “I want 10 acres and a vineyard.”

She was stunned. “I will never forget that moment,” Terry said. “I looked at him and thought, ‘Oh WOW’ I had no idea.”

Having lived in Sonoma County for 11 years, Buz and Terry were both wrapping up careers in management at the Department of the Treasury. Buz had also flown Navy helicopters for 20 years, and worked as a bookkeeper and accountant for Landmark Vineyards in Sonoma.

“We started searching everywhere for an affordable place to retire and buy property,” Terry recalls, “and that brought us over the hill to Lake County.”

The couple instantly fell in love with the natural beauty of the region, its warm weather, and its close proximity to the Bay Area.

They eventually found their ideal property situated outside Kelseyville, California, with a ranch-style home and a 10-acre vineyard they named Cat’s Paw Vineyard. Slowly over the next five years, they began transitioning into retirement, while continuing to live and work in the Bay Area. On weekends, the couple commuted to Lake County to tend their vineyard and learn the art of farming winegrapes.

“I had enough knowledge of the wine business from working at Landmark to know I didn’t know anything,” chuckled Buz, “so when we first moved here, I learned about growing grapes from other winegrowers in the county.”

The couple quickly began working with local vineyard advisor/manager Lars Crail, who educated them on farming basics like irrigation, pest management, and pruning. Over time, they decided to graft over several acres of Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah on existing rootstock—all varieties well-suited to the soil and microclimate in their area, with solid market demand.

In 2009, the Dereniuks officially relocated to Lake County and launched their new “retirement” chapter as full-time winegrape growers. It wasn’t long thereafter that Terry heard about a local project to create a federal American Viticultural Area (AVA) petition that would designate the Big Valley and Kelsey Bench areas as unique grape-growing regions. She decided to throw her hat in the ring to spearhead the effort.

“I left the first meeting with a huge briefcase full of paperwork and thought, ‘Oh my God what have I done?,’” she said. She dove in and devoted the better part of a year to writing the first petition. “I learned a fair amount about that process, as well as how it pertains to the industry. It’s been quite interesting.”

Thanks to her considerable efforts, Lake County now has four more recognized AVAs plus another two pending, bringing the total to eight, including the Kelsey Bench-Lake County AVA where their Cat’s Paw Vineyard is located.

“Our AVAs give local growers a sense of place that really helps tell our story,” says Terry, “starting with the varieties that we grow, and how location affects weather. Take frost for instance. In the 20 years we have grown grapes on the Kelsey Bench, we haven’t had the damaging frost events that growers in the nearby valleys or high elevations deal with.”

“Our vineyard elevation is roughly 50 feet higher than the valley below, and we have deep, well-drained soils here that the grapes love,” Terry explains. “We also have a high magnesium-to-calcium ratio in the water, which impacts the vines’ ability to take up nutrients, so we are constantly working to increase plant matter in the soil to help correct that ratio, which is a challenge.”

In 2010, after losing their initial grape buyer contract, the couple decided to begin the three-year process of attaining organic certification. “For us, it was primarily a marketing decision,” said Terry. “Generally, you can get a little better price from niche buyers looking for organic fruit, and that’s when we began collaborating with Chacewater…a certified organic Lake County winery. It’s been a great fit for them and us!”

“We are a small producer.” Buz added. “We pick maybe 20 or 30 tons come harvest, which is really attractive to a winery like Chacewater that does small programs.”

Both agree it’s been challenging to grow organically. “It’s harder to control weeds and insects,” says Terry, “but we can use softer chemical products that are approved for organic agriculture—it just takes vigilance and more applications to get the job done.”

When it comes to Lake County grapes, Buz and Terry note that the quality of vineyards in this region is comparable to those in well-known Napa and Sonoma counties to the south, and vintners from those areas are buying Lake County grapes for their wines.
“The lower cost of grapes here is certainly part of it,” says Terry, “but the structure, flavor, and wonderfulness that Lake County grapes add to their wine is a bigger factor. That’s something we are all very proud of.”

Buz also points to Lake County’s easy-going vibe where wines and tasting experiences can be enjoyed at an affordable price point. “Other regions have gotten really expensive,” he notes. “People who come here to taste wine don’t need a reservation and might meet the winemaker across the tasting room counter. That’s pretty special.”

In May 2025, the couple will mark 20 years since beginning their adventure as grape growers. Reflecting on the future of the wine industry in Lake County, Buz and Terry remain cautiously optimistic while acknowledging the industry as a whole is currently facing challenges.

“We (Baby Boomers) were really the generation that drove the growth of the wine industry,” notes Terry. Now, she’s leveraging that legacy by leading a grant project to reconnect Millennials and Gen Z with wine.

She highlights trends like food-and-wine pairings—simple experiences that bring people together to savor la dolce vita, the good life.

“Wine has been around for 8,000 years,” she reflects. “I’d say it’s here to stay.”

Photo credit: Karen Pavone