Hardball Cellars

About Us:

Cindy and Michael grew up in Albany, Oregon and were enrolled at the same schools most of their education but finally met in a high school economics class which began their life together.  Both Michael and Cindy's parents each owned their own businesses. Growing up in hard working households helped instill entrepreneurial passion.

Cindy graduated in Business and Home Economics from Linfield College in Mcminnville, Oregon (which happens to be near the heart of the Oregon wine county). Michael studied Forestry, Business and Architecture at Oregon State University.   Michael and Cindy soon married and followed Michael's parents who had recently moved to Napa, California.  This is where Michael and Cindy planted their roots and began their careers in Accounting and Real Estate Appraisal.  Their family grew with a beautiful daughter and a handsome son who were very active in dance and sports.

Shortly after moving to Napa, Michael began to experiment with home wine making, just as he had seen his parents and grandparents do.  Michael and Cindy involved their children in picking and stomping grapes from Glass Mountain to create similar memories as they had growing up in the North West. Michael has enjoyed the book Easy to Make Wine by Mrs. Gennery-Taylor which reminds him of his generational wine making experience.  They also taught their children how to make Sarsaparilla and Root beer.

Over a span of nearly 30 years, Michael's work has taken him over many, many roads throughout Northern California. Through the years he has developed not only a fondness for the history and culture but a love for the scenic beauty of the vineyards and the wine country atmosphere.Michael and Cindy have continued to explore wine growing, wine making, wine tasting, fruit sourcing, friendships, attending events and networking in the wine industry.  Michael still refers to several books he has learned from titled The Art of Making Wine by Stanley F. Anderson and Raymond Hull and Jim and George's Home Wine Making by Jim Weathers updated by Patrick and Colleen Watkins of Napa.

Besides the great offerings of the Napa and Sonoma valleys, the family took many trips through the United States which has led to many wine tasting outings.  Most travel revolved around their children with memories of their daughter, Cecelia, traveling for national dance competitions and their son, Jason, traveling as a baseball pitcher for Santa Clara University.  Michael and Cindy believe that any traveling should lead to wine tasting and wine exploring!

Michael and Cindy were involved in part-ownership of a collective tasting room which enabled them to gain valuable experience in small business operations, business promotion, video production, engaging in social media and making great friends all around the country.  Most importantly, this experience increased their desire to develop their own passion combining business, baseball and wine .

After graduation from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing degree, Jason landed a terrific opportunity to work for a new but fast-growing start-up social media marketing company in Silicon Valley and has gained incredible experience in large business,  operations, management, mergers,  team building and team goals, social media marketing and technology.  Jason still has a big passion for sports and staying physically fit. He enjoys building entrepreneurial skills, learning about wine and discovery new interests.Special thanks to our friend and mentor Cindy Costco of Passaggio Wines for seeing our vision and sharing with us about the many opportunities for creating great wine.