About H Winery

We founded the winery in Sonoma in 2006. At the time, we focused on Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast and Willamette Valley. We founded our winemaking school in 2018.

H Winery originally started as a side project for the former winemaker, a way to branch out from Bordeaux varietals. Like many winemakers who specialize in Cabernet Sauvignon, Keith was seeking a change. At first, he thought he’d make Burgundian Chardonnay and elegant Pinot Noir.

That wasn’t enough. He was thirsty for something more dramatic. He spent time in Italy, working for several wineries in Tuscany, and moved to (of all places) Philadelphia.

Choosing Love Over Wine

“Being married to a black woman in America means you have limited choices in where to live. One of the only neighborhoods where people won’t look at you with suspicion and hatred is a neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia called Mount Airy, ” said Keith. “I loved working in Napa and Tuscany, but it wasn’t home. Philly is home.”

Keith kept making wine, but his focus shifted to an unlikely goal: wine education.

“I always thought that sommeliers and wine buyers were super smart and sophisticated. I hate to admit this, but when they spoke, I used to take notes. But when I started to teach classes with them, I realized they were poorly educated. They knew nothing about wine. They just spend their time memorizing unimportant facts. I realized I could revolutionize how sommeliers are taught about wine. I knew I could expand the world of sommeliers. Not everyone had to be an old white guy like me. We can have some flavor here.”

Starting a Wine School

Not yet an old guy, Keith started the Wine School of Philadelphia at 31. After a decade of success, he launched the National Wine School, now one of America’s top-ranked sommelier accreditation agencies.