Donkey & Goat is celebrated for being amongst a handful of pioneers in the Natural Wine community because in 2004 they were unique for their ecological principles driving decisions in both the vineyard and the cellar and ten years later for promoting transparency, being one of the first to list ingredients on their label. Founding winemakers Jared Brandt & Tracey Rogers spent a year with the inimitable Eric Texier in 2002 studying the art of crafting natural wines in the Rhone Valley before co-founding Donkey & Goat in 2004 in San Francisco.

In 2006, with distribution around the US and a growing mailing list, Donkey & Goat moved to 2323-B 4th Street in Berkeley where they built out the first winery facility that is now home to Maître de Chai Wine. Five years later in March of 2011, with a newborn Lily Brandt, the Brandts embarked upon the extensive build out for the current Winery & Tasting Room at 1340 5th Street which opened in July of 2011. Today the Berkeley Wine Block includes three additional wineries that the Brandts helped bring to the block: Broc Cellars (2013), Hammerling Wines (2018) and Vinca Minor (2019).

In 2009 Jared began experimenting with sparkling wine after sharing a bottle of French Pétillant Naturel (PÉT NAT for short) with another inimitable winemaker in Los Angeles. In 2011 we debuted our first vintage of Lily’s Pet Nat, Sparkling Chardonnay that is still made today!

“I was inspired to make Pét Nats by both the traditional Pétillant Naturel made by vignerons in rural France for their own consumption and the desire to make bubbles without any additives.”

In 2007 we dabbled with skin contact Roussanne bottled as Tamarindo and by 2009 were labeling a 14 day skin contact Roussanne as Stone Crusher which is still made today!

We work with a handful of farmers who share our ethos and drive to make delicious terroir-driven wine while considering the larger environment, planet, and our impact. We like to grow with a farmer rather than grow our list of farmers.

We currently make wine from the following California AVA’s and since 2021 we also blend these celebrated AVA’s to make Climate-Driven Creative Wines out of necessity.

Donkey & Goat was our first California winery that we went to work with in 2009. At that time we were 100% old world. Intrigued by the four thirteen, we saw the old world philosophy and passion that went into their wines and so we tried to support them early. Over time, they started working with a national importer. The wines then became really overpriced and we struggled to sell them with extra layers of margin. Today, they return to our portfolio. Businesses change, they evolve and things ebb and flow. We are both in a different place now fifteen years later and happy to work with them once again.

We encourage you to read their manifesto. Donkey & Goat continues to produce some of the most pure expressions of California wine that is not spoofed that we have tasted. They are one of if not the first OG producer that started the revolution in California.