about us (old)

Charlie & Echo Avatar

winery

We’re an urban winery in San Diego producing natural, craft wine from local vineyards.

We’re on a mission to produce wines that exemplify San Diego.
Not only its terroir, but its cuisine, culture, and lifestyle.

We’re small, independent, innovative, and care about everything we make.

ethos

  • urban

    We're a fully functioning winery - just located in the city instead of the country.

  • natural

    We make our wines using only naturally occurring yeast, and as little processing as possible to preserve the wine's authentic character, without any chemical "corrections",

  • local

    We source from vineyards in San Diego County - the oldest and newest wine region in California. We love making wine from the area in which we live.

  • exemplify

    We embrace the Old World concept of wine being not only a reflection of where it is grown, but of the entire culture, lifestyle, and cuisine of the people living there.

  • Photo of Clara and Eric Van Drunen
  • Punchdown of Grapes in Bin
  • Glass Being Filled with Wine From Tank
  • Sparkling Bottle of Wine Overflowing
  • Grapes Fermenting in Bin
  • Wine Dripping From Tank

people

Yes, there are a Charlie and an Echo.

charlie

charlie

Charlie has traveled the world. Bargained in exotic bazaars. Been inked by an octopus. Stared down machine gun yielding militias. Eaten boa constrictor. She's the most interesting woman in the world.

Clara Van Drunen

Funny part is, that's all true.

echo

echo

Echo is a physics grad school drop out. He used to study charmonium. He used to be smart. Now he makes wine.

Eric Van Drunen

Again, that's all true. Just not nearly as interesting.

environment

Hey, we all live here.

1% for the Planet

We're happy to be a member of 1% for the Planet, and give 1% of our sales back to the environment — whether or not we are profitable.

Bonneville Environmental Foundation

With every vintage, we offset the complete carbon footprint of our wines, from grape growing, to wine making, packaging, and transportation.

Climate Positive

Then, with every bottle or can you buy, we use a portion of the sale to obtain even more carbon offsets. Simply put, every purchase you make of Charlie & Echo has a positive impact on our climate (not just neutral).

social media

Links to our social media to keep up on the latest are below. We love reviews, but prefer getting reviews on Google if you're going to pick one.

Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

distribution

If you're a restaurant, bar, or retailer looking to carry our wine, we love you already!

Here's are current list of awesome distributors...

San Diego County - Stay Classy Selections

CA (outside San Diego County), NJ, NY, PA - Nomadic Distribution

DC, MD, VA - Well Crafted Wine & Beverage Co

Your state not in the list? Let us know who your favorite distributor is and we'll follow up.

Want to distribute us? You seem cool, we'd love to work together.

Please contact us!

assets

Images below are intended for use solely by the media, retailers and partners in connection with Charlie & Echo. Copyright is retained by the holder noted with each image. Any use must be authorized by Charlie & Echo. High resolution versions may be downloaded from each image.

  • Tasting Room (Night)
  • Tasting Room, Empty
  • People Drinking Wine in Tasting Room
  • Wine Bottles in Bottle Rack
  • Wine Bottles and Glasses on Table
  • Woman Holding Wine Glass
  • Woman Drinking Wine
  • Hands Holding Wine Glasses
  • Grapes in Bin Being Punched Down
  • Wine Being Drawn from Tank Tap
  • Close up of Tank Valve with Wine Drip
  • Clara Van Drunen
  • Eric Van Drunen
  • Clara and Eric Van Drunen
  • Clara and Eric Van Drunen Opening Gushing Bottle of Wine

Woman Veteran Owned Business