Our Story
Municipal Winemakers was founded in 2007 by Dave Potter in a small garage in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone. What started as a one-man operation making wine in the most hands-on way possible has grown into three distinct labels—each with its own personality, but all sharing the same commitment to great wine made with minimal intervention from sustainably farmed, local vineyards.
Three Labels. One Family.
Named after David Potter's great-grandfather, who emigrated from Romania in 1917 — his name changed at Ellis Island, his spirit intact. These are single-vineyard Santa Barbara wines built on Old World craft and reverence for place: ambitious, layered, and made to age.
Fresh, vibrant, and built for the table. Honest, well-made bottles that punch above their price — for weeknight dinners, picnics, and not overthinking it.
Biodynamic and organic grapes, foot-stomped, fermented with native yeast, and bottled with nothing added. If you like natural wine, start here.
How We Make Wine
We source exclusively from sustainable, herbicide-free local farms across Santa Barbara County. We believe great wine starts in the vineyard, so we work closely with growers who share our values.
In the cellar, we take a hands-off approach—native yeast fermentation, minimal sulfur, no fining or filtering when we can avoid it. The goal is wine that tastes like where it's from, not what we did to it.
Everything is pressed, fermented, and bottled on-site at our Funk Zone facility. We ship carbon neutral, always.
Come Say Hi
We have two tasting rooms—our original spot at Potek Winery in Santa Barbara's Funk Zone, and our newer location in Ventura. Both are open daily. Walk-ins welcome, reservations recommended for groups.
Give us a call anytime: 805-931-MUNI
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