Peloton Cellars’ roots are deep.
You’ve probably heard the story of how the award-winning winery and Avila Beach tasting room came about. Four friends with a passion for cycling and wine started it back in 2005 with the cozy tasting room to follow in 2010.
But most likely don’t know that its history goes back a lot farther. A lot. All the way back to two of the co-founders, Kjell Akerstrom and eventual winemaker Bill Kesselring, becoming friends in grade school.
“We were two pals growing up, thick as thieves,” Kjell said. “Doing everything together. Getting in trouble together. Doing all the stuff that young boys do when they grow up.”
Bill and Kjell did their growing up in Mendocino County. Eventually, Bill went off to Cal Poly, while Kjell attended Fresno State. But that distance didn’t separate them, and Kjell more often than not was making the trip to SLO County for visits.
Both were involved in studying wine in college, as well as hitting up wineries for tastings on their back-and-forth adventures around central California.
“Driving back and forth, we were always stopping into the tasting rooms,” Kjell said. “There was always an interest in wine.”
Once again, their paths diverged only to be brought together again by wine. Bill was beginning his development career in Santa Rosa and was brought in on the crush process by one his client wineries. He asked Kjell, who was working in the Bay Area for a wine distribution company, to join him.
They both went through the crush working together through the night for the week while going back to their jobs during the day. And they were sold.
“We learned a lot and absorbed all we could,” Kjell said.
With borrowed equipment, a used half barrel and donated Zinfandel grapes, Bill and Kjell made their first batch of wine together in Bill’s backyard in Santa Rosa. The year was 1999. Every year following, they increased their output and quality, and more and more people wanted in on it.
“That ended up being a pretty good little zinfandel we made,” Kjell said. “Pretty soon, as we kept making more and more barrels, we decided we either go back to one barrel or we grow this thing into something a little more organized.”
Soon thereafter, Peloton was born.
“We never really read the ‘Grow a Winery’ bible,” Kjell said. “It was kind of a slow growing phase. We told our friends that they’re gonna have to join the wine club if they want the wine. It just kept growing step by step.”
Bill eventually moved to the Central Coast and opened the tasting room in 2010 with his wife and now co-owner Trish Kesselring, continuing to build on what he and Kjell created on his back porch. But one thing hasn’t changed, and that’s the wine’s quality and their reason for doing it all in the first place.
“Really, I think it’s a unique model, where it’s been really closely held and closely managed and we have just kind of done what we wanted to do,” said Kjell, who like Bill, owns a construction company that focuses on vineyard development based in Northern California. “We make the wines we enjoy drinking, and it seems like the product that comes out is great, drinkable wines that we all enjoy drinking.
“So we’re still kind of doing it for the same reasons. I think that translates through.”