The McKahn Family
Charles McKahn – Owner/Winemaker
Our winemaker and second generation McKahn Wines vintner began his winemaking career at 17 years of age, working in the laboratory and cellars of McManis Family Vineyards in the summer and harvest season of 2007. After that first harvest he moved to San Luis Obispo to study at Cal Poly’s Wine and Viticulture program where he concentrated on Enology, the science of winemaking. While living on the Central Coast of California he was exposed to the deliciousness of Rhône varieties and grew especially fond of Syrah.
After graduation in 2011, and multiple failed attempts to move to Europe, Charles applied to work the harvest season at the famed Chappellet Winery in the Napa Valley. His enthusiasm and good humor earned him a full time Enologist position shortly after harvest, and was eventually promoted to Assistant Winemaker.
After five years at Chappellet working closely with Phillip Titus and his assistant Ry Richards, in 2016 he moved on to be the head winemaker at William Harrison in Rutherford, Napa Valley. As of 2022, Charles is a full-time consulting winemaker for multiple small wine brands, focusing mostly on McKahn Wines.
Denise McKahn – Owner/CEO
Denise started her career in the wine industry over 30 years ago when she worked as an Accounting Assistant at the historic Wente Vineyards in Livermore, California. She was with Wente for eight years when she decided to leave the wine industry to be closer to home and spend more time with the family. After seeing her only son Charles head off to college in 2007, Denise decided she wanted to pursue her passion for wine. She was the Operations Manager at Concannon Vineyard from 2010-2018. Meanwhile, Denise convinced her husband and son to start making their own family wine, and McKahn Wines was created in 2014. Denise now runs the day-to-day operations for McKahn Wines.
Kevin McKahn – Owner
Kevin has spent the last 35 years as a high voltage electrician and recently retired to focus on the family business. He works tirelessly in helping Charles with the wine production as well as providing insights into the family business. He enjoys meeting new people and loves sharing stories of our short history in this wonderful life of wine.
Brittany McKahn – Owner
Brittany has ten years of luxury wine sales experience and has worked for multiple premium wine brands throughout Napa Valley, including Hudson Ranch, Kapcsándy Family Winery, and Titus Vineyards, with an expertise in Wine Club Management and Sales. Today, Brittany assists with the day-to-day operations for McKahn Wines.