COPIA Vineyards
Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara
Happy Canyon Cabernet focus of Varinder and Anita Sahi
When Varinder and Anita Sahi visited Paso Robles wine country in 2015, their lives were forever changed. Fueled by passionate curiosity and love of wine, the couple was immediately drawn to this special place of visionary farmers and winemakers who were unapologetically true to themselves and dedicated to expressing the incredible terroir that Paso Robles has to offer. Varinder and Anita moved to Paso Robles the following year and jumped into the wine business with everything they had.
Varinder was born and raised in Punjab, India and had an agricultural upbringing, but after moving to Canada and earning his master’s degree in engineering, he entered corporate America as a marketing engineer. Through this job, Varinder was exposed to large corporate dinners where several aged, expensive wines from the great winegrowing regions of the world were poured. This was Varinder’s first real exposure to wine and he was immediately intrigued. When he later ventured into the real estate development business, he had the opportunity to visit different wine regions of the world as well. He later purchased some property in Lodi, California and planted wine grapes and began dabbling in home winemaking, and it was at this point that Varinder earned his winemaking certificate from UC Davis. Part of those studies included a technical visit to Paso Robles, and it was the trip that solidified Varinder and Anita’s future in the winery business.
After moving to Paso Robles, Varinder and Anita did internships at Booker Vineyard, and they were both so inspired; they knew this was the place to settle down, to call home, and to really venture into the wine business. They yearned to craft the very best wine from the very best grapes they could find and grow, and began searching for a property that could turn their dreams into a reality. In 2017, they purchased 50 acres in the esteemed Willow Creek District of Paso Robles where beautiful slopes, calcareous soils and strong marine influences make it an ideal site for grape growing. They also teamed up with consulting winemaker Peter Turrone to start crafting small batches of Rhône-style wines under the COPIA Vineyards brand.
Varinder and Anita planted their first estate vines on the Paso Robles property in 2019 and look forward to using their fruit in a few years. Until then, they source from some of the best vineyards on the Central Coast. They also have plans underway to construct a state-of-the-art winery and tasting room at the vineyard, but in the meantime, COPIA’s ultra-boutique, award-winning wines are poured at a charming brick-walled tasting room in downtown Paso Robles. It seems this is just the beginning of Varinder and Anita’s journey, and we can’t wait to see what comes of it.
The lucky recipients of our Platinum Plus! Wine Club membership get to open CPOIA's amazing bottle of 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy!
