Utah’s Native American-Owned Winery Serving Sustainable Wines

At the Park City Wine Festival, I discovered Twisted Cedar—a Native American-owned, Utah-based winery committed to sustainable practices. From bold Petite Syrah to refreshing Moscato, Twisted Cedar wines deliver rich flavors and an affordable taste of Utah’s cultural heritage.

Ted Scheffler

October 25, 2024

During this year’s Park City Wine Festival I became familiar with a Utah-owned winery I didn’t really know much about: Twisted Cedar.

Twisted Cedar is a Native American owned, Utah-based winery. According to the winemakers, “The Cedar Band of Paiutes, located in southwest Utah, is one of five constituent Bands of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. Our Paiute name is Suh’dutsing, which means Cedar, derived from the cedar tree that heavily populates our region. Our language is the Numic language, which relates to the Shoshone and Ute Tribes. Early Southern Paiutes were hunters and gathers and lived off the land close to water. Today, we have a total of 257 members enrolled in our Band and have approximately 2,137 acres of reservation land, which runs adjacent to the I-15 corridor about 8 miles south of Cedar City, UT.”

“Respect for the land and sustainable farming practices are strong cultural beliefs held by the Cedar Band of Paiutes and our California winery partner. We build our business on respect for the land, responsible energy use, and a desire to make the best and most environmentally friendly wine possible. Unlike other farming practices, sustainable winegrowing is all encompassing in its approach. We are not only concerned with the health of the vineyard but its surrounding natural environment as well. Sustainable farming is the balance of environmental health, economic profitability and social equity.”

Twisted Cedar Native American Wines are 100% owned, sustainably produced and bottled in the Lodi region of California. I recently enjoyed a bottle of Twisted Cedar Petite Syrah-Petite Verdot, 2019 and was impressed by this economical wine ($8.08).

Certified Sustainable by the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing, this red blend of 65% Petite Syrah and 35% Petite Verdot is a tasty, earthy melange of blueberry, blackberry, black cherry and cassis notes, weighing in at 14.5 ABV. The aromas are indicative of the bold, full wine you’ll find in the bottle. Tannins are well-structured and firm for a wine of this price, leading to a long finish.

Other Twisted Cedar wines available in Utah include Zinfandel, Sangiovese Rose, Pinot Grigio, Moscato, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. All but the Rose are $8 or under.

Food & Drink, Sips, Utah Bites, Wine, Spirits and Beer

Ted Scheffler

Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine, and travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, music, and reading, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers. Ted is also the author of the Utah Bites newsletter, which is published in partnership with Utah Stories. Before moving to Utah, Ted lived in New York City, and numerous states in the US, as well as in various countries overseas, Spain, Japan, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico. He earned a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the Graduate Faculty of The New School for Social Research.

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