Chris buchanan

“I consider Terragena and my winemaking as a lens through which the unique aspects of each location and varietal can be expressed. Striving to nurture wines from soil to glass, I eschew overbearing manipulation in favor of a gentle support that allows each wine to shine with the full potential it was imbued with by nature during each vintage.”

- Chris Buchanan

Chris studied Mathematical Economics at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA and completed his degree with a fascination for the economic concept of “utility.”

In 2008, Chris began the early stages of creating his own wine brand that would become the Terragena of today. During this time, he expanded upon basic construction and agricultural skills which had been a hobby in college, and developed a raw property into a functional off-grid oasis and small vineyard in Humboldt County, CA. Chris and Terragena left the property in 2021 for new opportunities.

In 2011, he completed 180 credit hours plus additional coursework in viticulture and enology from UC Davis to earn his Winemaker Certificate and in 2013, began working with Bravium winery in Philo, CA.

Today, Chris strives to maximize his utility at every opportunity. Self-described as a scientist by nature, Chris feels winemaking is more akin to alchemy than laboratory science and that, when compared with Europe and the Old World, we have well over 1000 years of research and ancestral knowledge to catch up on. Research and comparison is always ongoing at Terragena with a constant drive to create the best possible wine, or - in other words - to maximize the utility of the grape.