Winemaker
Dave Ready
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Philo, California, United States
i. Biography
Dave Ready has been chief winemaker at Edmeades Winery in Philo since 2017, and the work there is defined by place as much as by title. He has also served as winemaker at Edmeades Winery in Philo and as winemaker at Murphy-Goode Winery in Sonoma, with a focus on Mendocino Zinfandels. Across those posts, the throughline is steady vineyard familiarity and the day-to-day judgment required to guide fruit toward its best expression.
The Climb
Dave Ready’s early career at Murphy-Goode Winery began in the cellars, where he served as cellarmaster before moving into the role of Assistant Winemaker at Murphy-Goode Winery (1997–2001). That sequence put him close to the tanks, the harvest pace, and the practical calls that shape a wine before it is ever bottled. From there, he stepped up to winemaker at Murphy-Goode Winery (from 2001), continuing his rise within the same house. The path reads as accumulation rather than sudden change: year by year, vintage by vintage, with a deeper command of the work and the vineyards behind it.
Today
Since 2017, Ready has led Edmeades Winery as Chief Winemaker. He also carries the winemaker title there, and his specialty in Mendocino Zinfandels gives the role a defined center. The title is formal; the craft is practical, shaped by repeated reads on fruit and the discipline of experience.
Career - Cellarmaster — Murphy-Goode Winery - Assistant Winemaker — Murphy-Goode Winery (1997–2001) - Winemaker — Murphy-Goode Winery (from 2001)
Signature
Dave's signature wines include Liar’s Dice, Murphy-Goode Zinfandels, and Mendocino County Zinfandel. Taken together, they show a style built around varietal clarity and a clear attachment to the vineyards and regions that define the wines. Each label sits inside a broader commitment to Zinfandel and to the places that give it form.
In Their Words “As a Murphy-Goode's winemaker, I have a fortunate advantage: our winery's history. I know the taste of the grapes; my direct experience tells me when the vineyard is at optimal ripeness.” The line is practical rather than decorative. It points to a working winemaker’s advantage: enough seasons in vineyard and cellar to recognize ripeness as a sensory call, not an abstraction.
Recognition
The clearest marker of recognition is craft-specific: Mendocino Zinfandels, handled through the Philo role he began in 2017. The acknowledgment is consistency and specialization, built from sustained attention to the grapes, the vineyards, and the long work of making wine well.
FAQ What is Dave Ready's current role? As of 2026, Dave Ready is Chief Winemaker. Where did Dave Ready work before? Dave Ready's earlier career included Murphy-Goode Winery, Murphy-Goode Winery, and Murphy-Goode Winery. What is Dave Ready known for? Mendocino Zinfandels.
