Demetria Wine’s Alexis Zahoudanis Is Cultivating Community, Family and Wines with a Sense of Place
A family vintage.
- CategoryEat & Drink, People
- Written byBonnie Graves
It’s been a difficult time in the wine industry of late. It seems like a new doom-and-gloom article is published daily, detailing declining alcohol consumption rates in general and their collective impact on wine production in California particularly. Many factors are at play, including overproduction and the legalization of marijuana most prominently. But the reality is that it’s a very tough time to be in the business of fermenting grape juice.
2026 also marks my 20-year anniversary of writing about food and wine for Southbay magazine, and it was in the South Bay 22 years ago that I went on a fateful blind date at The Kettle with some guy who lived in Manhattan Beach. This magazine, my personal life and the wine scene have changed dramatically over the past two decades, but what remains is deeply rooted.
I thought a lot about roots, viticultural and cultural, while having lunch next to Alexis Zahoudanis recently at his family business, Demetria Estate. Arguably the most beautifully situated winery in California, a meal or tasting on the patio with its expansive views of the Santa Ynez Valley will make anyone yearn for the lifestyle.
But it’s the genuine sense of welcome that is as distinctive as the view. I’ve traveled the globe and tasted wines with any number of impressive folks, but my chat with Alexis reminded me that hospitality cannot be faked. And I was delighted to learn of his own roots in the South Bay.
Alexis is the son of John Zahoudanis, a commercial real estate investor and immigrant from Greece, and Sandra Zahoudanis, a travel agency owner with Southern roots. Alexis was raised in Manhattan Beach and graduated from Mira Costa High School.
Above: Alexis Zahoudanis; Photos courtesy of Zach Brown and @isleoffilm Photography
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“The South Bay was an incredible place to grow up,” he shares. “Life in Santa Ynez is a lot quieter and runs at a totally different pace. While I do miss the multitude of cultural opportunities in a more urban area, it has been great to see the Santa Ynez Valley evolve in recent years into a true culinary, wine and hospitality destination. The only thing missing here is views of the Pacific Ocean.”
After a stint back east at New York University for college, Alexis returned to the South Bay to join his family’s business. One of their more notable real estate projects was developing the Manhattan Beach Country Club. Their family’s imprint on the South Bay is both physical and metaphysical, as longtime residents who are deeply committed to the area’s development.
John was raised on Greece’s Mount Olympus, though, surrounded by olive and citrus groves with a modest farm wine production. The allure of winemaking persisted alongside his commercial successes.
“For as long as I can remember, owning a winery was my father’s dream,” says Alexis. “As a Greek immigrant, a love for wine, food and hospitality was ingrained in him.”
Above: The Demetria Team: Nick, Alexis and Logan; Photos courtesy of Ali Beck Photography, @isleoffilm Photography and Demetria Estate
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Vocation met avocation when he purchased the legendary Ashley’s Vineyard in the early 2000s. The resale of Ashley’s provided the capital to purchase a once-in-a-lifetime estate, planted and farmed by Santa Barbara pioneer Andrew Murray. Demetria Estate was reborn in 2006, and 20 years of the Zahoudanis family’s commitment to biodynamic farming and minimal interventions has resulted in one of California’s most legendary properties.
And yes, the wines are great. First made by my friend Mike Roth, an early natural-wine proponent, they have been produced since 2019 under the watchful eye of Ryan Roark, who is both the winemaker and the vineyard manager at Demetria. His dual role is unusual and allows a level of holistic, farm-to-bottle viticulture that has resulted in something remarkable.
“Owning and operating a winery is a ton of hard work, but it’s also a dream come true,” says Alexis. “I get to do what I love alongside an incredibly passionate team—creating wines that reflect our estate in the Santa Ynez Valley and sharing them with the people we’re lucky enough to welcome here.”
Above: Photo courtesy of Ali Beck Photography, @isleoffilm Photography and Demetria Estate
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Yet Alexis didn’t want to talk about how great Demetria’s wines are, and you’ve got to like a guy who lets the grape juice do the talking on its own. Rather, we spent a few hours talking about family. We both have raised children in SoCal and are now in that transitional space sometimes called the “sandwich” generation.
Alexis spoke movingly of his own childhood and specifically about his mother, from whom he learned to cook and for whom he now acts as primary caregiver. He also counts his longtime employees as family, and team members Ryan, Emily, Logan and Nick are an integral part of Demetria’s successes. Demetria is Alexis’ sister, herself named for the Greek goddess of harvest, Demeter.
Then we got to talking about cooking, and what Alexis considers his “body by pasta” approach to life. An accomplished home chef, Alexis and I had a lot of fun discussing food and wine pairings. The feeling at Demetria is one of welcome, and I kept thinking of Olive Garden’s popular—if wholly inaccurate—corporate tagline: “When you’re here, you’re family.” At Demetria, this tagline is exemplified by how warmly each guest is treated, a rarity that may speak to the demise of certain haughty tasting rooms and the era of allocated wines in general.
Above: John Zahoudanis in Greece; Zahoudanis family; John breaking ground on the Manhattan Beach Country Club; Photo courtesy of Ali Beck Photography, @isleoffilm Photography and Demetria Estate
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In addition to wine tasting, Demetria is one of Santa Barbara County’s premier event venues, and its gorgeous setting is widely coveted for weddings, birthdays and corporate retreats. I found myself thinking of my own family and could not imagine a more lovely place to have a multigenerational reunion here in California.
While walk-in guests are accommodated, making a tasting reservation is advisable, as is planning for the winding mountain drive up to the estate along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. Come early and enjoy the sunlight streaming through the majestic oaks, the melodic birdsong and a lineup of wines that truly showcase an origin story. Terroir is as much about people as it is about soil and sun—something that Demetria embodies.
“Demetria is a place where you can bring your kids, your dog and a picnic and just enjoy the day, whether that’s listening to live music or taking in the views,” Alexis notes. “From the beginning, my parents wanted to create a place where people could relax, connect with nature and experience a real, lived-in wine estate, and it has evolved into just that.”
