Our

Story

Owned by husband and wife team Sandy and Erin Robertson, Dogwood & Thistle Wine Company started as a passion project that would allow us to work with small, family-owned vineyards to make wines that we love to drink and that we dream of sharing.

With Sandy having the winemaking expertise, having honed his craft for fifteen years, and Erin being a seasoned wine sales and marketing pro, Dogwood & Thistle melds what we have both learned in our wine industry careers and allows us to put our own spin on everything we do.

Dogwood & Thistle officially started in September, 2017 when Sandy phoned Erin one day during harvest and said, “I’ve got a lead on one ton of spectacular Pinot Noir, and I think we should take it.”

We celebrated our first release in April, 2019 with 60 cases of 2017 Oppenlander Pinot Noir and 150 cases of Mariah Sauvignon Blanc, and continue to grow in size and scope every year.

With the dogwood being the state flower of Virginia (where Erin was born and raised), and the thistle being the flower of Scotland (where much of Sandy’s family is from), the name represents our personal and professional backgrounds coming together to build a life that we love. We split our time between Northern California and Charlottesville, Virginia raising our daughter, Beatrice, and our corgi, Pickle.

Introducing

Our Team

Winemaker

Sandy Robertson

Born in Hong Kong, bred in England, Sandy started his career working at wineries in France and England and graduated from Plumpton College, the University of Brighton, with honors in Viticulture and Oenology. He came to Sonoma County in 2007 to work in the cellar at Merry Edwards Winery and stayed on after harvest, eventually moving up the ranks to become Assistant Winemaker for the prestigious brand. In late 2014 he struck out on his own, forming Hally Wine Company, a full-service winemaking consulting company. He is now the Vineyard Manager at Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia. When he’s not in a vineyard or cellar, he can usually be found playing rugby with his mates, tending the grill, or hiking with their corgi, Pickle, in Napa.

Sales & Marketing

Erin Robertson

Erin started in the wine industry after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2001, moving to New York City and working for the B.R. Guest restaurant group in Manhattan. She made her way out to California in 2008 after working in her home state of Virginia at a bottle shop and for a local distributor. After five years as the National Sales Manager at Laird Family Estate in Napa, and four years at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates as the Marketing Manager for their luxury California wineries – Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Conn Creek Napa Valley, and Patz & Hall, she was most recently the Director of Marketing at Round Pond Estate. In late 2020 Erin joined Sandy as a Partner at Hally Wine Company, where she helps small wineries achieve growth through their sales and marketing initiatives. Erin holds an Executive MBA in the Wine Industry from Sonoma State University, is a huge bookworm, and sometimes does karaoke against her better judgment.

Mascot

Pickle the Corgi

Pickle joined our family in January, 2016 as an eight-week-old puppy and has served as Sandy’s harvest sidekick diligently and cheerfully every year since. She has never met a stranger, is fiercely loyal to her family, and loves running in vineyards, supervising at the winery, napping in the sun on the crushpad, running around with the neighborhood kids, and tagging along to drop off and pick up our daughter every day at school. In short, she’s the best.

Join Our

Mailing List

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Erin & Sandy