One couple’s honeymoon plans set in motion the creation of Epiphany Cellars, a Santa Barbara County-based boutique label celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Had Tim Snider and Ashley Parker Snider decided not to spend their first vacation as husband and wife in Australia, who knows how or when Epiphany would have come to fruition. The concept unfolded during a wine tasting excursion in Barossa Valley—the two weren’t traveling on their own though, Ashley clarified during an email interview.
“We were ‘chaperoned’ by three winemakers, one of whom was my brother, Eli Parker,” Ashley, daughter of Fess Parker (1924-2010), recalled of the trip that spawned Epiphany.
The Fess Parker Family Portfolio includes multiple hospitality and wine brands, including Epiphany, which has its own dedicated tasting room, located in Los Olivos.
Ashley and Eli both work as stewards of their late father’s vision for the family business, and Ashley’s husband, Tim, holds the position of winery president.
While wine tasting at Rockford Wines, the trio had a joint epiphany, or “light bulb moment,” which explains the label name they eventually landed on, Eli stated in press materials.
His sister elaborated.
“We were hosted by [Rockford] winemaker and owner Robert O’Callaghan, and [he shared] his Rockford Basket Press Shiraz with us. He also had a stunning GSM [grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre] blend,” Ashley told the Sun. “All of those wines age incredibly well, and I think Eli sensed that the natural acidity in the fruit we grew—because of our long, cooler growing season—would lend itself to big, bold Rhone blends. That was kind of the epiphany if you will. I remember Eli being very excited about the prospects.”
Rhone tastings at Penfolds and d’Arenberg were also instrumental in creating Epiphany, particularly the label’s inaugural blend of syrah and grenache, titled Revelation—which has maintained its reputation as Epiphany’s flagship wine.
“After trying a few of the wines at d’Arenberg, specifically their stand-alone grenache called The Custodian, the idea of a big syrah/grenache blend kind of took hold of Eli,” Ashley said. “Revelation was the end result.”
Revelation and other wines under the Epiphany brand are available locally at the label’s aforementioned Los Olivos tasting room as well as Fess Parker’s Santa Barbara tasting room located in the Funk Zone. Outside the Central Coast, Epiphany can also be found at Fess Parker’s tasting room in downtown Napa.
To celebrate Epiphany’s 25th anniversary, Fess Parker plans to hold commemorative events throughout the year, including an ongoing Throwback Thursday flight series and the upcoming Rhone Rodeo in June, which will highlight multiple Rhone producers during a roundtable panel discussion and through a handful of curated wine tastings.
Before Epiphany debuted in 2000, growing Rhone varieties wasn’t unheard of in the Santa Ynez Valley and other areas of Central Coast wine country, but it was far less common than today, Ashley recalled.
“Back then a lot of people in Santa Barbara County made syrah, but the other Rhone varietals like grenache, mourvèdre, cinsault, and counoise weren’t super prevalent,” she said. “We all thought syrah was going to be the next big thing. But a few years later along came Sideways, and pinot noir stole the show.”
While the Fess Parker family is proud to call 2025 a milestone anniversary for Epiphany and reflect on the label’s growth throughout the past quarter of a century, the company’s focus remains on future endeavors and continuing to produce Rhone wines that capture the “essence” of Santa Barbara County, Ashley said.
“The Rhone varietals grown in Santa Barbara County make for complex, well-balanced wines that age beautifully. They are also very approachable both from a flavor profile standpoint—blackberry, blueberry, and darker red fruits—and an affordability standpoint,” she said. “All of those descriptors kind of capture the essence of Santa Barbara County to me. Delicious, approachable, and fun.”
Be sure to patent your epiphanies before emailing them to Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 23 – Feb 2, 2025.