Welcome to the Austin Harlow Family
We’re here to make good wine. We try to sell it too, but life’s too short and sometimes we drink it all.
When Bill Austin set out to make his wines, he picked the name “Austin Harlow” to represent his daughter’s two families. Many beloved wines like “Milton’s Merlot” are named after equally beloved family members.
At Austin Harlow Winery, we want our customers and club members to feel like family too: getting in on the deals, being invited to fun events, and receiving thoughtful gifts.
It started with a midlife crisis…
Meet Bill Austin. Most men would get a convertible or motorcycle during a midlife crisis but, my dad turned his wine hobby into a full-blown business instead. If you live in Salinas, you’ve probably already met Bill at SaveOn Cleaners, another business he runs - he hates having free time, clearly.
If you had to describe my dad in a few words, “hard-working wine-enthusiast” is accurate.
He isn’t your typical wine snob though. He often felt out of place in tasting rooms at first because he didn’t fit into that high-class culture. Even as he became a bonafide wine enthusiast, he realized a lot of the fanciness that made wine culture so expensive wasn’t necessary to make great wine. He saw a need for premium wine meant for regular people like him, and his midlife crisis was the perfect opportunity for him to act on it.
Bill created the Austin Harlow Winery so he could make premium wines without charging premium prices.
Bill believes that wine enthusiasm shouldn’t be exclusive to people who can afford to open $50 bottles on a regular basis.
He created the Austin Harlow Winery to make the love of good wine more accessible and affordable. No knowledge of fancy French terminology or aroma notes is required to be an Austin Harlow enthusiast: We believe wine culture can be casual without affecting quality.
What are Mid Life Crisis Wines?
Mid Life Crisis wines are made by Austin Harlow Winery. They are the most affordable wines we make, and they all sport a funky blue and yellow label.
All Mid Life Crisis wines are $20 or less per bottle.
Once you taste them, you you’ll be dying to know how Bill fits so much flavor and finesse into a budget-friendly bottle. I don’t know how exactly my dad does it either, but I’m trying to find out, and I have a feeling grapes are involved.
That’s almost everything you need to know about us over here at Austin Harlow Winery. If you have any questions and can’t catch up with us at our events, or Contact Us so we can get in touch!
Cheers!