We are pleased to highlight Sandor Faludi from Prohibition Cellars in Woodinville, WA as a July Sentia Spotlight Winemaker.

“Sentia is so easy.  I save a bunch of time, a bunch of money, I do less work & it’s perfectly accurate.  Every winemaker needs one, there’s no question.” 

Sandor was born and raised in Hungary, in the middle of a wine region where almost every family had a little vineyard and made their own wine. His family became true wine enthusiasts, trying all different varietals, joining wine clubs, and they even started a blog on wine tourism. 

Sandor formally studied winemaking and viticulture in Villány, one of the most famous wine regions in Hungary. After working for a few different wineries there, he and his wife moved to California. He soon started making wine and beer in his small garage, which opened onto the alley. His popularity grew, and by the time the first harvest rolled around, all of his neighbors—and his very pregnant wife—were helping him de-stem one ton of grapes by hand! He felt like he was in the middle of the Prohibition Era, and his garage was a speakeasy bar. It was then and there that he decided to name his future winery Prohibition Cellars. 

In 2016, they made their first trip to Washington and were amazed by the wines coming out of the region. He felt a big opportunity coming. Later that year, they packed their bags and moved to Woodinville, WA. When they bought their house, the first thing he did was make his garage a licensed winery: Prohibition Cellars. They made their first two vintages there (2017 and 2018), and in 2019, they moved their production to the Woodinville Warehouse District. They opened their official tasting room and sold their first bottle of wine on January 16th, 2020, the 100th anniversary of Prohibition.