A Name from an Ancient Place
From Armenian roots in Georgia and Russia to the ancient soils of Lodi, Rose and Greg Nemet have spent fifteen years translating 6,100 years of winemaking heritage into California bottles. Four generations, one ancient city, and a conviction that the best wine tells a story worth keeping.
From Armenia to Lodi
Greg Nemet's family carries a fascinating journey — Armenian roots that trace back through Georgia and Russia before arriving in the United States. Rose Nemet's family carries the name of an ancient Armenian city: Kareen. It is a place where wine has been made for longer than most civilizations have existed — 6,100 years of continuous viticultural heritage [^292^][^293^].
In 2010, Rose and Greg began their first experiments — translating that inheritance into California wine, one harvest at a time. They didn't choose Malbec because it was fashionable. They chose it because "it reminded us of something older — something that deserved to be remembered." By 2016, they were making wine professionally, working mostly with Lodi and Clarksburg fruit, building a label that honours the past while embracing California's present [^293^][^296^].
The family's journey is one of heritage, vision, and fearless creativity. Greg's background spans Armenian, Georgian, and Russian influences — a cultural tapestry that informs every decision in the cellar. Rose brings the name, the history, and the conviction that wine should be a story, not a product [^292^].
"We didn't choose Malbec because it was fashionable. We chose it because it reminded us of something older — something that deserved to be remembered."
— Rose & Greg Nemet
Lodi, Clarksburg, & the Sierra Foothills
Kareen Wine crafts low-intervention wines from sustainably grown and organic sites across three distinct California appellations: Lodi's Mokelumne River AVA, Clarksburg in the Sacramento Delta, and the Sierra Foothills of Amador County [^295^][^298^].
Lodi's ancient soils, extreme diurnal temperature swings, and century-old vine roots produce fruit of unusual concentration. It is why Malbec thrives here in ways it does nowhere else in California — the warm days develop depth and colour; the cool nights preserve acidity and aromatic complexity [^293^].
In the Sierra Foothills, the Nemet family has acquired new vineyards in Amador County — a bold expansion that brings Barbera, old-vine Zinfandel, and the rugged mountain character of the foothills to the Kareen portfolio. The Barbera Pet-Nat, made from grapes already growing on their newly purchased land, represents the project's most exciting new direction [^292^].
The family also farms five acres of their own estate grapes in the Sierra foothills — a commitment to vertical integration that ensures control over farming practices from bud break to bottle [^298^].
Ancient soils, extreme diurnal swings, century-old vine roots. The home of Kareen's flagship Malbec — dark plum, black cherry, dried violet, silky tannins, long cedar finish. The terroir that convinced the Nemets that Lodi could produce world-class wine.
Cooler temperatures, sandy loam soils, maritime influence from the Delta. Source for Viognier and Chenin Blanc — varieties that thrive in the misty mornings and warm afternoons of this underappreciated appellation.
Newly acquired vineyards at elevation. Barbera, old-vine Zinfandel, and estate plantings. The rugged, granitic soils and mountain climate produce wines of intensity and structure — the next chapter in the Kareen story.
Five acres of estate grapes in the Sierra foothills, farmed organically. The Nemet family tends their own vines, ensuring that every grape meets their standards for low-intervention winemaking. From bud break to bottle, the story is theirs.
Low-Intervention, Single-Vineyard, Story-Driven
Kareen Wine specialises in low-intervention, single-vineyard wines sourced from sustainably grown and organic vineyards. The approach is hands-off but not hands-free: native yeast fermentation, minimal sulfur, no fining or filtration for some cuvées, and a focus on letting each vineyard speak through its fruit [^295^][^299^].
The flagship Malbec is aged for 20 months in new French oak — a serious commitment for a variety often treated as a blending grape. The toasting of the oak lends "a playful dose" of vanilla and spice, while the extended aging develops the silky tannins and cedar finish that define the wine. Lush flavours of ripe cherry, cranberry, and hints of cornelian cherry unfold with air [^297^].
The Chenin Blanc is single-vineyard, unfiltered — quince, beeswax, wet stone. Rare in California, remarkable at Kareen. The Viognier is full-bodied with bright acidity, white peach, honeysuckle, and apricot blossom — the "survivor grape of the Rhône" finding new expression in Clarksburg [^293^].
The Pét-Nat White represents the project's natural wine evolution: lively and wild, pear and green apple, brioche, cloudy, unfiltered, alive. A new direction that honours the 6,100-year tradition of spontaneous fermentation while embracing California's experimental spirit [^293^].
The Barbera Pet-Nat
The most exciting new release from Kareen — a vibrant Barbera Pét-Nat made from grapes growing on the family's newly acquired Sierra Foothills vineyards. Greg Nemet describes it as the culmination of years of experimentation and the beginning of a new chapter. Barbera's natural high acidity and bright red fruit make it ideal for sparkling wine, and the Sierra Foothills elevation adds a mineral backbone that sets it apart from valley-floor expressions. This is Kareen pushing into uncharted territory while staying rooted in heritage [^292^].
Four Generations, One Ancient Heritage
Kareen Wine is a family business in the deepest sense — four generations contributing to the craft, from the Armenian elders who carried the knowledge of winemaking across borders and decades, to Rose and Greg who translate it into California bottles, to the children who will inherit both the legacy and the land [^293^].
The Nemet family is part of a broader Armenian-American winemaking community that includes Stepan Baghdassarian and other descendants of one of the world's oldest viticultural cultures. Armenia's Areni-1 cave, where the world's oldest known winery was discovered, dates to 4,100 BCE — proof that the Nemet heritage is not mythology but archaeology [^292^].
Rose and Greg's partnership is equal and collaborative. They share winemaking duties, vineyard management, and the storytelling that defines the Kareen brand. Their podcast appearances — on Indie Wine Podcast, Always Drink the Good Stuff, and LoveScotch — reveal a couple deeply engaged with the wider wine community, generous with their time and their story [^292^][^296^].
"Crafted in Lodi by Rose and Greg Nemet — guided by Armenian winemaking roots that stretch back 6,000 years and a conviction that the best wine tells a story worth keeping."
— Kareen Wine
The Kareen Range
All wines are made from sustainably grown or organic fruit, with low-intervention techniques that honour the 6,100-year Armenian tradition while embracing California's diversity. The range spans flagship reds, single-vineyard whites, natural sparkling wines, and experimental releases from the family's new Sierra Foothills estate. Each bottle carries a story — of place, of heritage, of the conviction that wine is memory in liquid form [^293^][^295^][^298^].