Fabien, Elizabeth, Jeremy, Griffin, and Jason, a band of misfits and rebels come together in a raucous blend. From winemaker to restauranteur, engineer to brewer, their shared goal is to create a unique blend, vintage after vintage.

About Side Street Wine

Fermented With a Little Bit of Mischief

Side Street Wine is a creative wine project born inside Ojai Valley Brewery, where we blend winemaking and brewing techniques to craft fresh, expressive wines that taste like Ojai itself. We source grapes from vineyards within 25 miles of downtown Ojai, focusing on small, often forgotten parcels — many under four acres.

Our wines are low-intervention, vibrant, and served mostly on tap to keep them fresh while reducing waste. Here, wine is unpretentious, hyper-local, and meant to be shared.

This is wine made for people who love flavor and story — not formality.

A Band of Misfits & Rebels

Side Street Wine was created by Fabien, Elizabeth, Jeremy, Griffin, and Jason — a raucous blend of winemaker, restaurateur, musician, cook, brewer, engineer, and hospitality creatives. Different backgrounds, same mission:
Make something unique, vintage after vintage.

In early 2023, after more than 20 years at The Ojai Vineyard, Fabien Castel stepped away searching for a new path. A spontaneous conversation with Elizabeth sparked the idea of building an alternative winery inside a brewery. Within weeks, the vision took shape — and Side Street Wine was born.

Today we revive forgotten vineyards, experiment freely, and honor Ojai’s agricultural roots through wines that reflect the valley’s seasons and spirit.