Arable
A documentary series that profiles a new generation of farmers, winemakers, small business owners, and advocates who are reshaping relationships between land, labor, and community in the region. Directed by Aaron Brown, presented by The Future Collective.
OFFICIAL TRAILER
Episodes 01-04 documents 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒙 𝑫𝒐𝒔’ 𝑩𝒂𝒓 𝑳𝑬𝑻’𝑺 𝑮𝑬𝑻 𝑫𝑬𝑬𝑷: 𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑫, 𝑳𝑨𝑩𝑶𝑹, 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑴𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑻𝒀, a four-part panel discussion series moderated by author and wine historian Elaine Chukan Brown, exploring the intersection of local food and wine production, employers and farmworkers, and housing affordability and food security in Sonoma Valley.
Episode 01 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒙 𝑫𝒐𝒔’ 𝑩𝒂𝒓 𝑳𝑬𝑻’𝑺 𝑮𝑬𝑻 𝑫𝑬𝑬𝑷: 𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑫, presented to the community at Dos' Bar on April 24, 2025, brought together the distinct perspectives of Melissa Bucklin of Oak Hill Farm on the inherently extractive and exclusive nature of local food production; Saskia Tingey of Hamel Wines on land ownership and decision making around viticultural practices; Christian Cain of Perennial Grazing, whose sheep grazing practice is rooted in mutualism between animals and plants; Charlie Toledo (Towa) of Suscol Intertribal Council, who has led the creation of land-based projects to preserve Native American culture and human rights, and Elaine Chukan Brown (Inupiaq and Unangan-Sugpiaq), whose work as an author and global educator is at the forefront of using wine as an entry point to self-determination that leads to social justice.
Showing at The Sebastiani Theatre on March 19, presented by Sonoma Film Club
Episode 02 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒙 𝑫𝒐𝒔’ 𝑩𝒂𝒓 𝑳𝑬𝑻’𝑺 𝑮𝑬𝑻 𝑫𝑬𝑬𝑷: 𝑳𝑨𝑩𝑶𝑹, presented to the community at Dos' Bar on June 25, 2025, was the second in the four part series on local food and wine production, employers and farmworkers, housing affordability and food security, with moderator, Elaine Chukan Brown author of The Wines of California and panelists Cody Citrus of Paul’s Produce, David Rothschild of Las Vivas Wines, Los Paisanos Vineyard Management, Emma Lipp of Valley Bar & Bottle, Valley Swim Club, and Daniel Chavez of Daylight Vineyard Management Services.
Showing at The Sebastiani Theatre on April 2, presented by Sonoma Film Club
Episode 03 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒙 𝑫𝒐𝒔’ 𝑩𝒂𝒓 𝑳𝑬𝑻’𝑺 𝑮𝑬𝑻 𝑫𝑬𝑬𝑷 : 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑴𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑻𝒀, presented to the community at Dos' Bar on August 6, 2025, was a conversation on the intersection of wine, farming, and the pillars of employment, housing, financial stability, health, and education. Christopher Renfo, co-founder of The Two Eighty Project, Lucy O'Dea of Feed Cooperative, farmworker advocate Maria Membrila, and Elise Gonzelas of the Catalyst Food Security Initiative, and author Elaine Chukan Brown gave us incredible insights on how connections between local leadership and community members can build new systems, programs, and businesses in ways that fix temporary need while building towards long term sovereignty, stability, and security.
Showing at The Sebastiani Theatre on April 16, presented by Sonoma Film Club.
Episode 04 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒙 𝑫𝒐𝒔’ 𝑩𝒂𝒓 𝑳𝑬𝑻'𝑺 𝑮𝑶 𝑫𝑬𝑬𝑷𝑬𝑹: 𝑨𝑫𝑽𝑶𝑪𝑨𝑪𝒀, presented to the community at Dos' Bar on August 13, 2025, In this conversation with author Elaine Chukan Brown, farmworker advocate Zeke Guzman shared his life's story.
Showing at The Sebastiani Theatre on May 7, presented by Sonoma Film Club
Episode 05 brings together two influential voices in Northern California's fermentation and urban farming culture, Matt Niess, a wine and cider producer focused on hybrids and collaborative processing, and Chris Renfro, a grower-winemaker who sees agriculture as an act of ecological creativity and farms as interdisciplinary sites of culture-building, where wine is just one output of a larger cycle of regeneration and design.
Episode 06 brings regenerative winemaker Jack Sporer and biochar producer Eric Mayer into conversation around a shared vision of ecological farming rooted in accountability, collaboration, and place. They critique greenwashing and elitism in wine and climate culture, calling for deeper shifts in economics, policy, and ecological relationships.
Episode 07 is a conversation between people on two sides of a shared local ecosystem—farming and hospitality—who are deeply invested in the land, people, and rhythms of Sonoma Valley. Their conversation reveals a mutual concern for how place-based work is increasingly invisible and undermined by economics and bureaucracy, even as it is valued and romanticized by consumers.
Episode 08 follows cider maker Aaron Brown and winemaker Marreya Bailey as they reflect on building creative, small-scale beverage projects rooted in community, intuition, and experimentation. Grounded in DIY practices, wild fermentation, and artistic process, both navigate the challenges of staying independent within an industry shaped by scale, compliance, and classism.
Episode 09 is a conversation between Tom Larsson and Dan Marioni, who both come from multi-generational Sonoma County farm families whose agricultural roots date back to the 1800s. Over time, their families shifted from diversified crops like prunes, apples, and dairy toward grape growing, a change that brought financial stability but narrowed the region’s agricultural identity. They reflect on the land’s transformation from small, interdependent family farms to a landscape shaped by monoculture, rising costs, and lifestyle vineyards.
CREDITS:
Produced by Kim Jones
Directed by Aaron Brown
Executive Producer, Angela Ryan
Co-Executive Producer, Aiko Sophie-Ezaki
Jan Reichle, Director of Photographer
Camera Operator, Conor Hagen
Aaron Brown, Editor
Matt Wood, Sound Mix
Color Grade, Ryan Carmody
Title Design, Hayden Shiebler
Music, Matt Baldwin
A Sonoma Docent Council & Vale Studio Production 2025
Sponsored by Catalyst Fund.