Grower Spotlight: Thompson Creek Vineyard

Photo credit: Karen Pavone

Jay Singh never set out to be a farmer, let alone a winegrape grower. Raised on his family’s multi-generational farm in a rural corner of northwestern India, he decided early on that life on the land wasn’t for him. Farming felt more like a legacy to escape than a future to embrace. So, he ran from what seemed like destiny.

In 2009, at just 17 years old, Jay moved to the United States to pursue higher education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Northridge, in 2015. His professional journey began at Wells Fargo, followed by a series of relocations that took him from North Carolina to Seattle for a role at Amazon, then back to San Francisco with Wells Fargo, and now to a fully remote position with a FinTech company.

Lake County was never on his radar, but fate had other plans in the form of an unforgettable wine tasting experience.

“In 2016, my best friend from Los Angeles came to visit, and he booked a tasting at Robert Mondavi in Napa. It was a fantastic experience,” he recalls of his first-ever visit to a winery.

The tasting included an educational vineyard tour, where the guide explained seasonal cycles of the vines, from bud break to pruning, culminating with a private barrel tasting. The experience captivated him.

Despite his earlier efforts to escape his deep family roots in agriculture, the winery visit stirred something inside him, and he decided to begin exploring a career in the wine industry.

With savings set aside, Jay started looking into real estate as an investment opportunity. Around that time, his girlfriend introduced him to her uncle, a longtime grape grower with more than 50 years of experience across several counties—including Lake. An informational meeting with Reynaldo Robledo Sr. of Robledo Family Winery further piqued his interest, and Jay began studying the economics of vineyard ownership in earnest.

“I kept finding my way back to Lake County,” he says, noting the region’s affordability compared to surrounding counties and the promise of a growing wine industry.

“While I was doing my research, I came across a video interview with Andy Beckstoffer,” Jay recalls. “He talked about buying land in Lake County in the late ’90s and said it was the next up-and-coming place to invest.”

Eventually, Jay discovered Thompson Creek Vineyard, a 10-acre property in the Big Valley AVA, complete with a home and an established Chardonnay vineyard. It checked all the boxes and he completed the purchase in August 2021.

A year later, in the fall of 2022, he harvested and sold his Chardonnay grapes before deciding to pivot after the 2024 harvest season. The vineyard is currently in transition, with plans to replant roughly eight acres in one of Lake County’s signature grape varietals: Sauvignon Blanc.

“The volcanic soils here are excellent for flavor development,” he notes. “And the hot days paired with very cool nights are fantastic for growing Sauvignon Blanc.”

Jay is also considering organic farming. “It’s a trend many growers are embracing,” he says. “I think it gives you an edge in the market.”

He anticipates replanting by the end of 2025.

Jay has big hopes for the future of Lake County’s wine industry, and he’s excited to be a part of it.

“I would like to see Lake County get noticed like our neighbors in Napa,” he says, referring to the quality of grapes and producers in this region. “We’re gaining national recognition and beyond,” he notes, pointing to local growers like Clay Shannon, whose wines have international distribution and recognition. “He’s been doing a great job of reaching markets outside the United States. It’s making a name for Lake County.”

For now, Jay is focused on balancing his time between his nine-to-five remote job as a software engineer and growing winegrapes. It isn’t easy, but he’s got his routine down to a science; starting each day at 5:00 AM with early morning work in the vineyard, then transitioning to his office job from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. He resumes evening work in the field until sunset.

“That’s pretty much my schedule on repeat,” he says, noting most weekends are spent in the vineyard or part-time training as a member of the Army Reserve.

“I never knew the thing I was running from would become what I love most,” he says with a smile. “I’m at peace in the vineyard. I love it.”