AVIVO Celebrates Your Health With Wine That's Good For You!

Avivo’s red wine, made with Syrah and Sangiovese, and its white wine, made with Vermentino, contain zero carbs and zero sugar, making them perfect for a healthy lifestyle. All photos by AVIVO.

By Dathan Kazsuk
trianglearoundtown@gmail.com

We recently had the pleasure of an engaging Zoom conversation with Ridgely Evers, the founder and CEO of AVIVO Wines. Ridgely’s journey into wine is anything but ordinary—it’s the kind of story that would make even seasoned wine aficionados raise a glass in admiration.

Over the course of an hour, we learned about his passion for sustainability, his deep understanding of the land and how he’s redefining California viticulture. It was the kind of conversation that leaves you inspired—and maybe a little thirsty.

Ridgely began by recounting the unlikely path that led him to wine. “I actually got started with olive oil,” he shared. “I took cuttings from an 800-year-old olive tree outside of Lucca, Italy, and brought them to California. Turns out, those were the first olive trees imported into America since 1900.”

From there, he launched a successful olive oil business, but the story wasn’t without its hiccups. “If you saw the profit and loss statement for the olive oil business,” Ridgely laughed, “you’d probably take back my business degree.”

A bottle of 1994 Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino finally pulled him into the world of wine. “I was smitten,” he said. That bottle, paired with grilled lamb, was a revelation—a moment that sparked a curiosity about winemaking that never left him.

Dan Fitzgerald, the director of winemaking and owner of AVIVO, walks through the vines in his California vineyard.

Ridgely’s farming experience spans decades, with over 30 years of experimenting and learning. He embraced biodynamic farming and began cultivating Italian grape varieties that thrive in California’s Mediterranean climate. “I’m convinced that Mediterranean varieties are better suited to California than French ones,” he said. “The wines are nuanced, approachable, and spot-on.”