SWITCHBACK RIDGE WINES

In 1914, Eliza and Mads Peterson purchased a 100-acre property located on the floor of the Napa Valley at the mouth of Dutch Henry Canyon. Both Eliza and Mads had immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s–Eliza from Ireland and Mads from Denmark–and headed westward as so many did at that time, seeking a place to call home. The property, located just off the Silverado Trail between St. Helena and Calistoga, hosted a small Zinfandel vineyard. With the onset of Prohibition in 1920, prunes quickly became the cash crop in Napa Valley, and the Petersons planted a plum orchard to help provide for their large family. Caring for the orchard, as well as a large vegetable garden and numerous farm animals, was a full-time job for the whole family, including the six boys and three girls.
When the time came to pass the property on, the daughters–and not the sons–took the responsibility. Vera, Carrie, and Mae worked to preserve the family legacy, maintaining the buildings, plum orchard, vegetable garden and livestock. Vera worked the land, Carrie managed the books and Mae returned each summer to help the harvest.
Vera’s son, John Peterson, grew up working the farm and, in turn, taught his children, Trish, Kelly and Johnny, the reward of hard work. The inspiration sparked by Mads’s dream, set a true legacy in motion.
Slowly the plum orchards transitioned to vineyards, and by the 1990s grape vines were thriving on the property that once hosted plums. The soils with plenty of drainage and a warm, sunny climate made the area perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah. There are currently 21 acres under vine, which includes a sixty-plus year old block of dry farmed Petite Sirah that John Peterson helped plant as a young child.
The inspiration to embark upon a family wine project first came to Kelly in 1995 with the death of her great aunt, Carrie. Auntie, as she was affectionately called, emphatically insisted that her old vine block of Petite Sirah, or “Pets” as she called them, “not be touched” when the property was replanted in 1990. At the time there was little respect or interest in Petite Sirah and total acreage in California was down to an all-time low of only 1,700 acres. After her death, there was a renewed interest in the variety and Kelly vowed to make a Petite Sirah varietal wine in her honor. That dream became a reality in 1999, with the help of family friend and winemaker Bob Foley, when Switchback Ridge produced its first vintage.
Switchback Ridge is named for the winding trails in the hills above the vineyard that John explored as a child. Today Kelly Peterson continues the legacy that began with her great-grandfather, Mads, over a hundred years ago.

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Kelly Peterson-Holmes

Founder/Managing Partner

Kelly founded Switchback Ridge in 1999 with the dream of continuing her family’s legacy that began with her great-grandparents over 100 years ago. She is responsible for all aspects of the business, including sales, marketing and hospitality functions.
Kelly grew up in Calistoga and spent most of her childhood on the family’s vineyard, which included picking prunes and grapes at a very young age. After spending 13 years at a local winery overseeing direct sales, hospitality, special events and corporate dining programs, Kelly left to concentrate full time on the business she built from the ground up.
Kelly takes great pride in what she and the three generations before her have accomplished and is thankful for the opportunity to continue a family legacy of hard working farmers, grape growers, and now, wine producers. Above all she is most proud of her daughter, Ashley, who joined the company in 2015 and her son, Devon, who is currently studying viticulture and enology. With the future of Switchback Ridge in good hands, she looks forward to focusing on her most recent and cherished role as “Mimi” to her granddaughters, Ava and Eliza, the sixth generation already in training!
When not traveling across the country making new wine-loving friends, Kelly likes to hang out at home with her husband, Ray, and their rescue dog, Sonny. Kelly is also very active in her community and sits on the board of the Calistoga WineGrowers Association to collectively promote the incredibly special place she’s been so blessed to be born and raised.