My Story
I’m Mike Stiekema (stick‑em‑ah), the hands, heart, and spirit behind Stiekema Wine Company. I didn’t set out to become a winemaker—wine found me more than a decade ago, in a moment when I was searching for purpose and a place to belong. What began as an accident became a calling, and after studying Viticulture & Enology, I followed that calling to Paso Robles in 2018, hungry for craft, meaning, and mastery.
Then Megan stepped into my life, and the story changed shape. Love rooted me. Family expanded me. What was once a personal pursuit became a legacy in motion—one carried quietly in the hands of our two young daughters, who don’t yet know the world being built for them.
My Vision
My vision is guided by balance—the kind found in the vineyard at dawn, in the stillness between seasons, in the quiet work of fermentation. I believe wine is more than a beverage; it’s a bridge. A way to connect with the land, with each other, and with the deeper parts of ourselves we often forget to listen to.
Through sustainable and regenerative practices, I try to honor the rhythms that existed long before me. I craft wines that speak softly but with intention—wines shaped by patience, presence, and the belief that beauty comes from working with nature, not against it.
Stiekema Wine Company is my offering to the world: a reminder that excellence and ease can coexist, that purpose can be gentle, and that every bottle can carry a little harmony forward.
