Businesses of all kinds are embracing what some are calling the “Roaring 20’s”. One such example is Hook & Ladder Winery in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California.

During pandemic-induced shutdowns the winery turned to a wide-ranging remodeling effort to improve guest amenities for the day shutdowns ended and business operations normalized. Featuring prominently in the remodeling effort are sustainably harvested redwood lumber and timbers from Humboldt Sawmill.

“I don’t think you could visit Hook & Ladder Winery and not notice the redwood,” states Devin Ruddick, VP, National Sales Manager. “Humboldt Sawmill really took our experience to a whole new level. When people come to our vineyard they look around and in a world of social media, find so many different areas in which to capture a great day that they are having.”

Key outdoor uses of redwood on the property include numerous 6”x6” timbers supporting large fabric shade sails, and a deck that serves not only as a stage area for musical acts, but as a creative way to hide a critical irrigation system. Plenty of outdoor seating at redwood picnic tables and benches was a must-have.

“We can have some really heavy winds along with the fact that we get a lot of direct sunlight on this property. The redwood posts that we were able to use are strong enough to take that wind and these large shade sails and create durability as well as amazing aesthetics,” continues Ruddick.

Inside the tasting room redwood was used on the bars, in lattice work near the ceiling, as baseboards, and finally for a beautiful ladder able to roll side-to-side across the wine library, giving tasting room staff easy access to the wines for guest pours and product sales.

“Our redwood bars are absolutely some of the most important structures in the tasting room. With natural light shining through our garage doors, the softness and warmth of the wood is really something that entices people to stay for a while,” says Ruddick.

In selecting redwood for the remodel, Hook & Ladder Winery had two major prerequisites in mind. According to Ruddick, “Humboldt Sawmill’s sustainable practices were really right in line with our philosophy, along with the fact that we wanted structures that were going to be durable, that were going to last.”