Malibu vintner wins prestigious award

By Judy Abel · Sun Jul 26 2026

Ivy Reid's small vineyard produces big results

When the Woolsey Fire tore through Malibu in 2018, Ivy Reid came within a house-length of losing everything. Flames swept across her recently purchased property, consuming the landscaping she had inherited from the previous owners and scorching nearly every vine in the small vineyard that surrounded her home. Only the house remained standing.

For many homeowners, that would have marked the end of the story. For Reid, it became the beginning of an unexpected second career. After mostly retiring as a landscape designer in Pacific Palisades, the horticulturist is now an award-winning vintner producing a tiny private vintage of organic wine that recently earned a silver medal at the Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Competition — one of the largest and most comprehensive California wine competitions in the world.

The vineyard wasn't something she had planned to operate when she purchased the property in 2017. Reid, who spent three decades creating beautiful gardens for others, was simply captivated by the beauty of the land.

The property had been owned by the same family for about 70 years. One of the family's children had planted the vineyard and had only begun experimenting with winemaking before the property changed hands.

"I promised the family that sold it to me that I would try to keep up the vineyard and the property as best I could," Reid recalled. That promise would prove far more challenging than she expected, especially after Woolsey.

After the fire, Reid salvaged what grapes she could from the damaged vines. Her first bottling came from the 2018 harvest and amounted to only about 100 half-sized bottles.

"I just instinctively asked questions, read about growing grapes," she said. "Being a horticulturist, I just knew how to grow things."

Growing wine grapes in Malibu, however, is very different from designing landscapes.

She cultivates her vineyard organically, following biodynamic principles inspired by philosopher Rudolf Steiner. The coastal climate brings heavy morning fog, mildew, insects, ants, birds and other wildlife that constantly threaten the crop.

"Farming in Malibu is not easy," Reid said. "You have to battle all those elements."

Each October she harvests her grapes and transports them to a custom crush winery in Camarillo where the wine is fermented, aged in oak, and bottled before returning to Malibu.

Her wine, called Sura, is available only in very limited quantities — about 150 full-sized bottles, or roughly 13 cases, each year.

The red wine is a Bordeaux-style blend featuring Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Syrah and Merlot. Depending on the harvest, Reid also produces a rosé.

The name "Sura" reflects Reid's fascination with symbolism and spirituality. Sura is a goddess associated with wine in Indian tradition. During a time of darkness, Reid explained, divine figures emerged from the ocean after it was churned, bringing gifts including wine, music and dance. "I thought it would be a beautiful way to celebrate my wine,” she said. The spiritual theme continues on the back label, where Reid includes the word "Amrita," a Sanskrit term meaning "nectar of immortality."

When asked to describe tasting her own wine, Reid responded, “It tastes like raspberries, delicious fruit. It's heavenly."

Until recently, Reid shared her wine only at private celebrations, weddings, and intimate gatherings.  Geoffrey's Malibu was among the first to feature it, and she has approached several other Malibu restaurants in hopes of expanding its availability. "I don't like trying to promote drinking," she said. "I try to promote celebration."

Her biggest surprise came this spring. Inspired by a movie, Reid decided to submit her wine to the Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Competition. She entered her 2025 Rosé Bordeaux Varieties wine without knowing what to expect. Professional winemakers and winery principals judged the entries anonymously. On June 5, Reid learned she had won a silver medal. "I had no idea," she said. "They just notified me."

Although officially retired from landscape design, Reid still offers occasional consultations for clients seeking horticultural advice. Yet despite her success in winemaking, she admits that tending a vineyard can be far more demanding than creating gardens. "Being a vintner is very stressful because of all the things that are involved: the weather, the animals, the diseases and keeping it organic," she said. "Landscape design was easier."

Still, the vineyard has become something more than an agricultural project. Along with the grapevines, Reid’s property includes a pollinator garden that attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. But the vineyard is its emotional center.

"A vineyard has a very special energy," explained Reid. "It's like a sacred space. It has a life of its own. It's uplifting. It's a way of being away from the world."