“The opening of SOYO House turns a new page in the story of Handwritten Wines,” says Philip O’Conor, VP of Marketing and Digital Experience at Handwritten Wines. “Our core mission is to showcase some of the finest handcrafted wines crafted in the Napa Valley”. Our Yountville tasting room, located in the charming SOYO House, represents everything you would expected to find in a boutique winery. Bringing the ambitious project from concept to conception, could not have been possible without the eclectic imagination of Bay Area interior designer Will Wick.

When we first dreamt of the Handwritten tasting space, there were immense challenges given the distinct vision and purpose for the space. Philip originally discovered the work of Will Wick and his eponymous design house, through their design of Meadlock Ames up in Healdsburg, CA.

Will was among many designers that bid Handwritten’s new tasting room and ultimately was awarded the project for his innate understanding of the brand, and approach to bold, decorative, intimate, yet eclectic spaces.

Wick’s pathway to design and architecture was also inspired by the Brazilian modernist styles of Oscar Niemayer, the timeless designs of Italian Giò Ponti and the classic, bold works of Francis Elkins. Graduating with a degree in environmental design, Wick would later go on to work for several notable designers in San Francisco before founding his own design house in 2000.

Will combines his early inspiration growing up surrounded by a family of stylish women, with rich life experiences, frequent travels and the natural world, to create immersive, storytelling spaces. Will has a way of Redefining design, with thought provoking color, bespoke tailoring and unique textures, and Handwritten’s SOYO House is certainly no exception.

The layout and design of the boutique winery, captures the essence and values of elevated luxury and bespoke indoor-outdoor home style living. Each intimate tasting space is with layered with textures of sartorial character and unspoken narrative.

Among the challenging aspects in the overall interior design, was imbuing a fresh, modern space wit state-of-the-art technology (wine storage, POS and commercial kitchen), while still maintaining a sense of time-honored charm. Making a large space feel intimate and personal involved a curation of one-of-a-kind pieces from the welcome foyer and Den to the kitchen and members study.

The practical, yet aesthetic concept that Will conceived helps our wine curators tell the AVA story in a relaxed home-like environment. The decoupling of tasting spaces allows our friendly hospitality team to greet and welcome walk-ins in a way that unobtrusive to private tastings. The Floor-to-Area (FAR) ratio and seamless transition from indoor and outdoor spaces evokes a feeling of comfort and belonging while encouraging unexpected moments.

Make sure to add Handwritten Wines on your tour of Napa wineries! Guests to our Yountville tasting room are welcome to call (707) 944-8524, email wine@handwrittenwines.com, or visit HandwrittenWines.com to book reservations.