The Stanislaus’, Proprietors

The Stanislaus’ story is one of family, friends, and finding themselves in the right place at the right time.

The Stanislaus’ first became aware of Paso Robles in 1996 when Mareeni, then completing her residency at UPenn, was recruited by the local hospital to provide OB/GYN services to the community. Being rather a frontier town at the time, it required vision for Ishka to imagine his oppportunities, but as he comes from a lineage of coconut farmers, the prospect of starting a vineyard made the decision to move to picturesque Paso Robles an enticing opportunity. They owe a debt of gratitude to their realtor and dear friend, Mitch Culver, who convinced them that the time was right to start a vineyard in Paso Robles.

Extended family were their first cheerleaders. Their support of the project took many forms, starting from the very beginning -- helping to plant the vineyard -- to working the annual harvest – to shared consumption of copious amounts of wine all in the name of research.

One such relative is, in fact, Guyomar, Mareeni’s father, for whom the winery was named. The first wines, the 2010s, are being released on the 10th anniversary of Guyomar’s death. The vineyard itself is named after Ishka’s grand uncle, a Catholic priest, who, when he passed away was remembered as the greatest mind in the British Empire. It is, as a tribute to him, that the vineyard was named after the Saint whose name he took, St. Peter of Alcantara.

Ishka has been extremely fortunate to be associated with two pioneers in the art of winegrowing and winemaking in the Paso Robles appellation, namely, Richard Sauret and Steve Glossner. They have been instrumental at educating and ultimately at crafting some extraordinary wines whose reputations will linger into perpetuity.