Located in the Anderson Valley of California, Witching Stick Wines is a small company specializing in finding unique vineyards and creating wines that actually taste like where they come from. Their focus is on refreshing, food-friendly wines with minerality and crispness—the kind you can drink without overthinking it. Witching Stick partners with the best vineyards in the Anderson Valley to create wines that will age gracefully and blossom over years, yet taste excellent the moment you open a bottle.

Van Williamson, the winemaker behind the operation, has thirty years of local experience and a real commitment to minimal intervention winemaking. This approach lets each vineyard’s character shine through without a lot of manipulation in the cellar. You can tell he’s serious about expressing the true essence of the site rather than imposing a particular style on every wine.

When you visit the tasting room in Philo, there’s a good chance Van will be at the counter pouring samples himself. He’s genuinely interested in talking about the winemaking process and has plenty of stories about the valley and the local area. It’s the kind of place where you get actual conversation rather than a rushed tasting, and where the person pouring knows exactly why they made the choices they did with each wine.

The tasting room sits in the heart of Anderson Valley wine country, so you can easily spend a day exploring the region. If you’re driving Highway 128 through Philo, it’s worth stopping to see what Van’s working on. The wines are reasonably priced for what you’re getting, especially if you’re looking for something that pairs well with dinner rather than sitting in a cellar for a decade.