Anderson Valley wine shop a pillar of community

When Wendy Lamer decided to open Disco Ranch wine shop in Anderson Valley, her goal wasn’t to sell wine from region’s well-established wineries, nor those from Napa and Sonoma.

Instead, she set her sights on tiny-production wines from local winemakers without a tasting room and a smart selection of affordable imports — two niches that have made her business a thriving success.

“Giving small-production winemakers a place to pour and sell their wines has been important to me since the beginning,” said Lamer, who opened Disco Ranch in 2019. “So I focus on brands that make around 600 cases or less. As for the imports, they’re just great bargains. My store is very small, so I really don’t have room for anything else.”

Born and raised in Georgia, Lamer first became interested in wine when she was 18 and working at a popular wine importer and gourmet food store. Her supervisor was erudite wine professional Tim Hanni, who would later become a Master of Wine, one of the most prestigious wine titles in the world.

“Tim was studying for his (Master of Wine) exam at the time, so I used to follow him around like a puppy dog to absorb his knowledge,” Lamer said. “We would commonly drink 1945 and 1961 Bordeaux. I was like, ‘Wow! I’m getting paid to drink wine! Wine has been my career and a great passion ever since.”

Over the next 20 years, Lamer worked for various wine distributors, both in Georgia and in Arizona, where she also managed wine sales for BevMo.

But it wasn’t until her brother Greg Lamer decided to move to Anderson Valley to work for sparkling wine house Roederer Estate that she considered moving to California.

“I knew Anderson Valley was in the middle of nowhere, but I decided to go check it out,” she said. “I wondered what kind of people would be living out there in the sticks. But I was completely blown away by cool, artistic people here, and the beauty and tranquility. I was like, this is what I need in my life.”

Wine at the Disco

With a name inspired by a particularly groovy dance party at her former farmhouse in Georgia, Disco Ranch has become a beloved destination for both locals and visitors.

And for small, independent winemakers like Brad Jonas of Minus Tide winery, Lamer has given his wines a presence — an invaluable gift for a wine label with limited funds.

“There are many artisanal producers making top-caliber wines who don’t get the exposure of a winery with a tasting room and much larger budget,” said Jonas, who cofounded Minus Tide in 2019. “Wendy is extremely knowledgeable about our story and connects people to our wines in a way that wouldn’t exist otherwise. She’s been an incredible supporter of us since she opened her doors in 2019.”

During COVID, Disco Ranch proved particularly valuable to small wine producers like Minus Tide who often rely on restaurant placements to sell and promote their wines.

While most restaurants were closed, Disco Ranch provided a venue for winemakers like Jonas to meet customers face-to-face to pour and sell their wines.

Today, Minus Tide is among the shop’s top-selling labels, in addition to other small brands like Read Holland, Waits-Mast and Lussier Wine Co.

But local wines are only part of the draw at Disco Ranch, where Lamer’s carefully curated selection of affordable imports often leaves customers giddy with excitement.

“I cut my teeth on selling imported wines, so I knew exactly what I wanted to offer,” Lamer said. “I carry a lot of Italian wines, Rhones, a fair amount of white Burgundy, which is just delightful, and Spanish wines. I mean, they’re really the best value out there. I offer something for everyone at every price point.”

While Lamer’s wines range in price between around $8.99 to $100 a bottle, most are under $25. If the cost of wine increases on her end, she switches it out for something else.

“Over-delivering in a big way is what I’ve always been known for, so it’s really important to me to keep my prices down,” Lamer said. “When you come to a small town, you just expect to be ripped off. But people from the Bay Area get here and are surprised the wines are less expensive than at home.”

For Anderson Valley locals like Jonas, having access to affordable imported wines is not taken for granted.

“It’s pretty amazing you can stop in Boonville and find a selection of Champagne or enjoy a glass of Alsatian riesling or a Northern Rhone wine,” Jonas said. “Wendy is great at connecting locals to international wines while creating a place for the community to gather.”

With a selection of approximately 320 wines, Disco Ranch sells wine by the bottle and 18 wines by the glass, including six to eight local selections, three aromatic white wines and three imported reds.

A variety of savory tapas are also on the menu, like giant beans with chorizo and piquillo peppers with goat cheese, tinned fish, gourmet sliders, cheese and charcuterie.

Lamer designed the menu so she could prepare all the food herself, often with items plucked from the store’s specialty food section. That’s saved her the cost of hiring an employee for most of the year, she said, except for the busy summer season.

But no matter the time of year, people can’t help but stop at the wine shop with the groovy name and the fire pit out front.

“When I told people I wanted to move to Anderson Valley, everyone said I was crazy,” Lamer said. “But Disco Ranch is a part of the community now. The locals have been so supportive and visitors tell me their vacation hasn’t started until they stop at my store. It’s all worked out really nice.”

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @whiskymuse.