About Us

Small Lots Big Wines began when founder, Becky Tyner, got a job working at a small boutique winery in the Napa Valley. The boutique winery experience was worlds away  from the large, mass produced, corporate wineries from which she came. She was impressed with the amount of passion involved in a small winery. The goal seemed to be making great wine more then great money. She also loved the hands-on approach to small production winemaking. There, the wine maker had his or her hands in everything, including vineyard management. But perhaps the most pleasant surprise was the wine. The quality resulting from the passion, commitment, and hands-on attention to detail really made a difference.

Before working at the boutique winery, Becky believed, as many others do, that there were very few small wineries in the Napa Valley. She even said so when guests would come and inquire where they could visit more boutique wineries. However, a little bit of probing and digging revealed that there were many more privately owned small wineries then big corporate wineries. However, what they lacked was an advocate. Becky determined she would be that advocate by creating a website and business solely based on small production wineries (less then 10,000 cases per year).

While she knew that she wanted to have a business based on small wineries, she didn't know exactly what that business was.  Through a series of twists and turns, both personal and professionaly including taking on partner, Ramon Sandoval, Small Lots Big Wines is now a wine club.  By focusing just on the club, Small Lots Big Wines has the opportunity to introduce consumers to small wines from all over the USA.

About Becky Tyner:

Becky Tyner is a near Napa native, moving to the valley when she was three years old.  Over the years she has traveled and lived abroad, but the Napa Valley has always been home base.  She has worked in the wine and hospitality for over 14 years.   Always a supporter of the underdog, she loves supporting small wineries via her wine clubs and Small Lot Wine Tours.

About Ramon Sandoval

Ramon Sandoval is a Bay Area native and a first generation Mexican-American.  Up until he met Becky Tyner, Ramon had always been a beer and tequila drinker.  But over the course of their relationsihp Ramon began to be exposed to wine.  But the exposure was not unique in that he often met the winemakers with Becky, or at the very least, Becky would bring a bottle to dinner and say something like, "This guy makes this wine and wanted me to try it..."  Suddenly wine had a face, a story, it was much more real and personal this Pacifico or Patron.  One evening brougth Ramon a bottle of Rocca Syrah.  She told him, "I did this tasting with Rocca today and told them that this syrah would pair really great with a hot man, so they gave me the bottle and told me to go for it and here I am!"

One thing that began to fascinate Ramon on his wine journey was all the Latino owned and made wines.  Always a supporter of hispanic community he convinced Becky that in addition to Small Lots Big Wines they should also have a wine club that just focues on Latino owned and made wines within the USA.  Together they launched Vino Latino, a wine club that celebrates the contribution of Latinos in the American wine industry.