January 6, 1987 – November 2, 2015The story and success of Spicy Vines Winery would not be complete without the foundation laid by the remarkable late co-founder Anders Pederson.
Background
Anders Pedersen was raised with his sister Kelly Pederson in Pleasanton, California by his mother and longtime Pleasanton realtor Melissa Pederson. Anders was a person of conviction, despite having a vision impairment he set out to master and enjoy all things in his life. His enjoyment led to many accomplishments in his academics, athletic pursuits, international travels, and careers including the creation of Spicy Vines. Anders was a firm believer in trying new things and embracing life with a twist.
In November of 2015, Anders donated a kidney to his sister Kelly as they were a perfect match. While the transplant was a success to his sister, Anders unfortunately and tragically passed due to complications of the the surgery within a week of the operation. Anders’ generous gift surrounding his kidney donation will be remembered forever by his sister, family, and friends as he continues to remain an important part of their lives today.
The Pederson family created the Anders Pedersen foundation to support kidney transplant research.
Adding spice to his life
Anders was a determined and adventurous young entrepreneur who embarked on the journey of creating a spiced wine with co-founder Crystalyn Hoffman. Upon the return of Crystalyn’s Europe travels, she described to Anders her insatiable craving for a German mulled wine. The two made a bet on whether there was a winery in America that produced spiced wines, despite all searches, Anders was unable to find a spiced wine company in the US and lost the bet. This reveal sparked a new goal for them, to replicate the wine and share it with the American wine industry.
Creating the perfect spiced wine recipe was no easy feat for Anders and Crystalyn alone, the kitchen of Anders’s mother, Melissa Pederson, could attest to that. Anders and Crystalyn sought help from professionals and scientists to assist them and in 2011, the inaugural bottled batch of Spicy Vines Original Spiced Red Blend was corked and bottled!
Today, Spicy Vines has grown to become a boutique winery in downtown Healdsburg. What started as bet surrounding a silly little Spiced Wine has since evolved into a growing winery producing ultra premium (non-spiced) varietals and blends. As the winery has grown, Anders’ and Crystalyn’s original little Spiced Wine continues to serve as the company’s flagship wine and reminder of how the Spicy Vines story all began. Anders always believed in the Spicy Vines dream he helped create and the team today strive to making the most in life as he did.
The Team at Spicy Vines
