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Alapay Cellars co-owner and winemaker, Scott Remmenga was raised in Santa Barbara where his father was a publisher. Scott moved to Avila Beach while attending Cal Poly. He graduated from Cal Poly in 1986 with a degree in Graphic Communications. Soon after that he opened a printing company in San Luis Obispo in partnership with his father. Business flourished and soon The Printing Connection, as it was known, had carved out a niche printing labels for United States wineries near and far. The pair sold the business in 1999. That's when Scott made the decision to invest his heart and soul in making wine. "The idea of making wine was something I'd had in the back of my mind for some time, but I was really helped along by a couple of really experienced winemakers who have been great mentors. " Scott recognized the importance of buying the highest quality fruit possible -- no small feat when you are new to the industry, but by spending a lot of time meeting growers, observing their farming methods and developing relationships based on trust and understanding, Scott has been able to purchase fruit from some of the central coast's premier vineyards. He used his own dream, a lot of research and the help of those more experienced in the field to build a plan. Two years later, in the Fall of 2001, he released 1,200 cases of his debut wine; Viognier, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
There is no hiding the fact that the young winemaker has found his calling. "I am really excited about what I'm doing," Scott says. "I have to pinch myself to be reminded that this is my life; making wine and selling it right in downtown Avila Beach. I see myself doing this for a long time. I really love it." Well, things did get better for the young winemaker when in the winter of 2002 he was introduced to Rebecca. Rebecca moved to the central coast from the San Joaquin Valley where she was a successful Sales/Marketing account executive then later General Sales Manager for a major radio station for 9 years. When the two met, Scott really needed help with launching the new wine product both in the tasting room (that wasn't opened yet) and outside retailers. Rebecca immediately stepped up to the plate and used her sales expertise to sell the wine and open new accounts for Alapay Cellars throughout the state of California. Her marketing skills came in handy when it was time to open the tasting room through promotions and marketing campaigns that would attract customers and increase sales for the tasting room. It didn't take Scott long to realize that not only had he found a good business partner, but a partner for life as well. Scott and Rebecca married later that year in July 2002. Two years after they went on to create their best blend yet, their daughter Tiffany Renee who they welcomed in June 2004.
Initially, Scott and Rebecca had planned to make just three varietals but in conducting their own market research, they quickly discovered that "people expect a lot of choices." So, after making sure they could procure high quality grapes, the couple expanded the selection of wine to include Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, a rose wine crafted from a blend of rhone varietals, affectionately labeled Beachtown Blush and last but certainly not least, a Bordeaux Blend that Scott appropriately named Rebekah as a First Wedding Anniversary surprise for his wife. While Alapay Cellars offers an increasingly wide selection and nearly 6000 cases annually, Scott and Rebecca promise they'll never become a large production winery. They quickly realized that the public desired to know more about wine and wine tasting but there was always a reluctance or intimidation that came from the customer visiting the tasting room. So Rebecca created a saying that is now a trademark of the company, "Come on in.the water's WINE!" Scott and Rebecca have created Alapay Cellars to truly be, "great tasting wine without the attitude." Scott says, "I think we've found something we could do for the rest of our lives. We never want to exceed the capacity where we can't do it all ourselves and I'll always be the hands-on winemaker!"
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