AJA Vineyards, a family-owned winery off the Malibu Coast, is opening its first tasting room in Santa Monica at 1417 2nd St. An opening date has not been announced but they recently began hiring tasting room associates.
Aja was founded by Todd and Heather Greenbaum in 2007 when Todd planted cabernet sauvignon and syrah vines in his first vineyard. Todd’s parents were wine enthusiasts, which is where he had fostered his admiration of wine, eventually leading him to start his collection. He fell in love with the varietals of the Napa Valley and wanted to bring those styles to the Malibu Coast.
“Family is very important to the AJA recipe. It is in the name. AJA is an acronym for the names of Todd and Heather’s three children, Alec, Jack, and Amanda whom are their greatest treasures,” says their website.
Today, Amanda – Todd and Heather’s eldest – has devoted her life’s work to crafting the best wines of the Malibu Coast and currently runs operations at the winery.
The vineyard offers a wine club with four different tiers, educational programming and events.