Mike and Kara

WELCOME. FINE DISREGARD WINE CO. is the personal project of Mike Schieffer and Kara Maraden. Our focus is making wines that reflect California and its rich viticultural history. We seek out compelling vineyards (often old vines planted in interesting soils, preferably farmed organically), and practice a philosophy of minimal intervention in all of our winemaking. We hope you enjoy the wines that are a result of this commitment.

MIKE IS THE ASSISTANT WINEMAKER for Turley Wine Cellars in St. Helena. He moved to Napa in 2009 to work for Beaulieu Vineyards and later oversaw the cellar for Keever Vineyards. Previously, he worked in the St. Emilion region of Bordeaux and the Hunter Valley in Australia. Former teammates attest to a tragic lack of athletic talent that prevented Mike from playing rugby professionally.

KARA IS THE DIRECTOR OF VITICULTURE for Foley Family Farms. She earned both her Bachelor’s in Horticulture and Master’s in Plant Pathology from Penn State University. Since moving to California in 2010, Kara has farmed vineyards throughout the state for Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel, Clos du Val, Regusci Family, and Foley. She is still trying to understand the game of rugby.

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