The Story

THE STORY

Bacchus Brands is the latest chapter in the life of a man with Midwestern roots and his wife, a San Francisco Bay Area native, who together found love in the California Wine Country. David and Kelly Francl had their first date in May of 2007 at the Bacchus Wine Bar in San Francisco and the idea for creating a California wine of their own using the Bacchus brand germinated shortly thereafter. The Francls were married in the Napa Valley in August of 2008 and currently produce their wine on an estate in Saint Helena less than five miles from the site of their nuptials.

David’s interest in wine originated as a young child watching his grandmother craft small batches of homemade wine in her basement cellar in Wisconsin. He refined this interest after moving to California in 1997 and spending time over the last two decades in the wine producing areas of Argentina, Chile, France, Germany, Greece and Italy. The trips to Italy furthered his interest in Roman mythology and Bacchus (Roman God of Wine and Intoxication). David also took advantage of his local presence on the West Coast of the United States to familiarize himself with the wines and winemaking styles of many California, Oregon and Washington producers.

Kelly’s wine palate developed significantly as a result of the Francl’s frequent trips to different wine producing areas during their courtship. Her skills as a former sales and marketing manager at YouTube/Google helped create the art and image of Bacchus. Despite preferring the white varietals, she is increasing her list of favorite Bordeaux blends, Napa Valley cabernets and pinot noirs.

David and Kelly engaged a consultant sommelier in mid-2011 who together with winemaker Paul Steinauer select the final custom blends you enjoy in Bacchus.

The Francls reside in Sonoma, CA with their daughter Gisele and son Owen.