THE FAMILY

WELCOME TO GRAND ISLAND VINEYARDS

The Salman family has been growing wine grapes for over 50 years. After a decade of planning and collaboration, they opened the doors to its winery facility for tastings, weddings, events and wine sales.

Located directly off the levee road of State Highway 160, the Salman family has developed over 450 acres of vineyards with more than a dozen varieties planted including Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Fiano, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Symphony, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot. Among the vast acreage of wine grapes, there are also two pear orchards, adding to the beautiful landscape that is Grand Island Vineyards.

Beginning in the 1920’s, Mujiko Salman (upper-left) immigrated from what is now Croatia, and began growing tomatoes and asparagus along the fertile river Delta. Enver Salman, Mujiko’s son, first planted wine grapes in 1969, including French Colombard and Petite Sirah and remains an integral part of daily operations while wife Cynthia oversees administration of the Winery and Salman Farms.

Joe Salman, the youngest son of three children who grew up on the ranch came home to join the effort after graduating from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo with a degree in BioResource and Agricultural Engineering and has managed the development of the winery and also manages winery operations.

Before envisioning a family winery, the Salman’s had great success with wine buyers such as E. & J. Gallo and Simi Winery in Sonoma County, Pine Ridge Vineyards and Beaulieau Vineyard in Napa Valley, Jeff Runquist Wines in Amador County, and nearby Lodi and Clarksburg wineries including Bogle Vineyards. Runquist produces a Salman Vineyard designated Petite Sirah that regularly wins top awards in wine competitions.

In 2007, the Salman family developed their first commercial wine, a red blend called Sutter Island Red, which was produced at nearby Scribner Bend Winery. In 2012, they began producing varietal wines at Estate Crush, a custom-crush facility in Lodi, CA and sees production of roughly 1,000 cases a year. Initially, all wines are being released under the Bridgehead brand, which is named for the nearby historic Steamboat Slough Bridge that was built in 1924 and is visible from the tasting room entrance and grounds.

The Salman’s have been active members of the Clarksburg Growers & Vintners Association, serving on its board of directors while promoting area efforts benefiting the community and all growers. Grand Island Vineyards will be included on the Clarksburg Wine Country visitor map and in promotions, as well as joining the Sacramento River Delta Grown, to be part of its Delta Farm and Winery Trail Guide.

Meet the People that Make it Happen

Founders, Owners & Management – This is Grand Island Vineyards.

Joe & Lenaya Salman

OWNERS / OPERATIONS MANAGER / EVENTS MANAGER

Joe Salman is in charge of running Grand Island Vineyards and Salman Farms on a day to day basis. Graduating from the University of California, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Agricultural Engineering, Joe has grown up on the Delta experiencing Vineyards and Wine Making his whole life and is proud to share the rewards of their labors by creating wines that showcase the GIV distinctive grapes perfectly. Lenaya Salman is in charge of all the wonderful, exciting events at Grand Island Vineyards, including Live Music, Classic Car Shows, the Vineyard Harvest Dinner and Paint and Pinot events, as well as all Tours and Tastings. Together, they set a solid foundation to enjoy truly distinctive wines that are consistent with the 45 years of preparation by parents Enver and Cynthia Salman. Commonly referred to as the "Salman-Six," Joe and Lenaya can be found at the winery with any combination of their children who are not at acting, baseball, dancing or any number things.

Enver & Cynthia Salman

FOUNDERS / PATRIARCH / MATRIARCH

Enver and Cynthia Salman have been instrumental in the development of Grand Island Vineyards and Salman Farms for over 50 years. First planting wine grapes in 1969, including French Colombard and Petite Sirah, Enver remains an integral part of daily operations while wife Cynthia oversees administration of the Winery and Salman Farms. Before envisioning a family winery, the Salman’s had great success with wine buyers such as E. & J. Gallo and Simi Winery in Sonoma County, Pine Ridge Vineyards and Beaulieau Vineyard in Napa Valley, Jeff Runquist Wines in Amador County, and nearby Lodi and Clarksburg wineries including Bogle Vineyards. In 2007, the Salman family developed their first commercial wine, a red blend called Sutter Island Red, which was produced at nearby Scribner Bend Winery. In 2012, they began producing varietal wines at Estate Crush, a custom-crush facility in Lodi, CA and sees production of roughly 1,000 cases a year.

Meet our Winemakers

Who makes the wine?

Ed Siekel

GRAND ISLAND WINEMAKERS

Ed (above, right) was born in Akron, Ohio and attended Harvey S. Firestone High School and currently lives in Sacramento, over in Curtis Park with his lovely wife Katie. Besides being one of GIV’s fabulous Winemakers, Ed also does Vine to Bottle Technical Consulting for other wineries. Having graduated from Bowling Green with a Double Major in Chemistry and Biology, Ed also attended UC Davis Graduate School with a ph-d in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology! This Brainiac, along with partner in crime David Shattuck, is a large reason why we are so very pleased with the quality of our fabulous wines. And crops. And pretty much everything else. Before being an extraordinary winemaker, Ed worked as a Lab Manager for the Clarksburg Wine Company where he came to love Grand Island Vineyards while working with GIV/Salman fruits. Ed often likes to say it was the quality of the fruit which caught his attention, thanks to both Joe and Enver Salman’s tireless efforts.

Brian Sutherland

WEB PROGRAMMER / FILMMAKER / ROGUE JOURNALIST
Brian, (aka Cousin Bri, aka Cousin Pie...) has been operating professionally on a 20+ year international basis, developing coordinated electronic marketing and publicity campaigns for a variety of impressive clients, including Van Gogh Vodka, PETA, William Hill Gaming Company, Cardiology Agencies, Hospitals, Fox Radio, several Universities, a well-known pharmaceutical company, Northern Nevada/California Law Enforcement and the State of the World Forum, a community outreach program in conjunction with SOWF President Jim Garrison, Al Gore, Jane Goodall and Mikhail Gorbachev. Brian is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno with a B.A. in Journalism/Public Relations and holds specialty certifications in Digital Marketing from Marquette and Sports Industry Management from Columbia. Somewhat recently, Brian was the Executive Producer of the multiple, award-winning film Nowhere Nevada and its soundtrack which received a five-year international distribution deal in late 2015. Brian has run his own electronic marketing/PR agency more commonly known as Virtual Reality Public Relations (VRPR) or Sutherland PR, working with such clients as Van Gogh Vodka and several technology companies.

Ed Siekel & David Shattuck

Ed and David make the wine.

David Shattuck

GRAND ISLAND WINEMAKER

Meet the other fabulous Grand Island Winemaker David Shattuck! David (above, right) has been working with partner Ed Seikel since January 2017 in creating new and wonderful Grand Island and BRIDGEHEAD wines. David lives in Davis with wife Jamie and Bret their Shetland Sheep dog since 2003, where he graduated (from Davis) with a degree in Bio Chemistry. Before this, David lived in Livermore and Denver, Colorado. Previous past work includes working at Lawrence Livermore Labs with many of our customers, at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale working on military lasers and then winemaker in Clarksburg. David met partner winemaker Ed in 2004 at Davis, during a recruitment weekend at Davis.

Sherry Stanley

ART DIRECTOR
herry Stanley is well known around our area and has been doing wonderful things for our community for many years including being the Special Events Coordinator for the Grand Island Mansion as well as the Ryde Hotel. She joined the Grand Island Vineyards family in January 2016 and wanted to work here before it was even built, having fallen in love with the people and the wine! Living on the wonderful California Delta (Grand Island), we see a lot of Sherry and enjoy every minute of it. Best friends with fellow employee Connie de Mars, Sherry also had Cynthia Salman as her children’s school secretary! Small world sometimes. It’s no surprise Sherry has a degree in Advertising and Public Relations, having attended both Alameda City College and Cosumnes River College along the way. With a keen eye for art, Sherry is also in charge of Art Sales and Consulting for Marty and Skyler Stanley, who are very popular in our area and produce(d) very beautiful works of Art. We commonly have several pieces showcased at Grand Island, as well as in many of our homes! Sherry previously LOVED the Sutter Island Red, but prefers to match her favorite GIV wine with what’s for dinner and what her surroundings inspire. She is also a big fan of the Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah, which is grown with Salman grapes, so bless her for that as well. Before joining our family, Sherry worked as a Delta Cropdusting Flagger as well as a Southwest Flight Attendant for two years. She has been through both a fire and a flood along the way, lived in the Grand Island Mansion and even met Clint Eastwood in Locke, CA where he definitely ” Made My Day,” according to Sherry.