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Mike Brown is a worldly kind of guy. He's come all around the world - or at least halfway, from Australia to California - to make wine in Santa Barbara County. Why? Because the surf is great in his part of the world and the Santa Barbara County is one of the most progressive and fast moving winemaking regions in the country. He wanted a piece of all that. Mike's first job in the wine business was pulling shoots off the vines in the vineyard his father owned in the sweltering regions of the Riverland in South Australia. He decided he hated it and swore he'd never go near a vineyard again. Well, some things change, luckily. After picking up degrees in Microbiology and Pharmacology from the University of Adelaide, Mike attended the premier school for winemakers at UC Davis and picked up his Masters of Science in Enology and Viticulture. Then the adventure began. The beaches and breaks of the Santa Barbara coastline beckoned and Mike found himself working his first job at Los Vineros in Santa Maria. Being a winemaker in California gives a guy the chance to work in Australia in the off season, and that's what Mike did for the next few years. He jetted back and forth, studying and investigating the latest in winemaking practices and technological advances that Australia was gaining a healthy reputation in. After literally working two jobs on two continents, Mike settled down in Santa Barbara, starting at Zaca Mesa and then becoming winemaker for the Santa Ynez Valley Winery. In 1989 Mike decided to create his own label "KALYRA". The name being a translation from the Australian Aboriginal meaning.."a wild and pleasant place". The philosophy behind these wines is that good wine should be a direct reflection of the fruit used and that it should highlight the distinct varietal characteristics of the regions it came from. Since 1989 Mike has been the head winemaker for Buttonwood Farm Winery and continues there whilst still making his wines under his own label. |  Whilst with Buttonwood, Mike has been able to venture further afield to find grapes for his own label. With some of the best vineyards in the county to choose from, plus fruit from Monterey, Amador and Madera counties, Mike has created a varied and award winning portfolio of table and dessert wines. In 1997 Mike decided to make some wines from his native Australia under the "M. BROWN" label. He travels down under each year to source fruit for a classic Shiraz from Barossa Valley , a dry Riesling from Eden Valley and, for something really unique, a Shiraz / Cabernet blend featuring wines from Australia and California blended together! Mike has now been joined by his younger brother Martin, who will run the sales and marketing side of things. They are both pleased to announce the opening, in February 2002, of their own winery and tasting room in the Santa Ynez Valley. (Site of Mike's former stomping ground, the Santa Ynez Valley Winery). The brothers Brown can now offer a unique and entertaining approach to wine tasting. All things considered, it has been a great journey for Kalyra and M. BROWN Wines. In the end, the wines speak for themselves. |
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