Pink bought 200-acre California ranch; 13 years later, it became a vineyard

Singer Alecia Beth Moore-Hart, known professionally as Pink, bought a 200-acre ranch in California’s Santa Barbara County with her husband Carey Hart in 2013 for almost $9 million. The property included a vineyard. Thirteen years later, the land is also home to Two Wolves Wine, the label she created after spending years learning about winemaking and organic farming. The purchase came while wine was still a growing interest for Pink, Forbes reported. She found the property online while she was on tour in Australia and bought it without seeing it herself. She sent Hart to look at it before the purchase. The couple had already been visiting the Santa Ynez area for about 20 years, riding motorcycles and stopping at wineries along the way. According to Realtor, apart from the vineyard, the property included a 10-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot estate, a pool and a spa. Pink's interest in wine had started much earlier. She told Forbes that she did not grow up drinking wine and once thought it was 'punishment at holiday dinners'. That changed in her 20s, when people in her management team introduced her to better wines and wineries while she was on tour. She began visiting vineyards during breaks from performances and later studied about it through Wine and Spirit Educational Trust courses and UCLA Extension. Pink eventually began learning about the work that goes into producing it, including farming grapes and caring for the land. While touring for her concerts, she continued her studies backstage. She would finish performances and then open her laptop to study wine. Her interest in wineries also took her to places such as Penfolds and Clos Rougeard, where she learned from winemakers and asked questions about their methods. Learning to make wine After buying the California property, Pink began making wine herself. She initially worked on small batches in a refrigerated garage, starting with a single macro bin. She was not planning to release the wine commercially at first. Instead, she was making it because she wanted to learn. Winemaker Alison Thomson later became her partner and co-winemaker. The two met at a dinner party, which Pink described as a kind of 'stealth dinner party interview'. Thomson did not know she was being considered for the role at the time. She eventually joined Pink in developing the wines. Pink's first vintage was made in 2014. She kept the project largely private for several years before deciding to release the wine. The first Two Wolves bottling finally came out in 2018. At the time, Pink said she was concerned that people in the wine industry might not take her seriously because she was a celebrity. "I was worried that people would think I was a clown." She said she did not want to simply put her name on a bottle made by someone else. "I really rolled up my sleeves," she said. Why organic farming became central Organic farming is a major part of the Two Wolves project. The vineyard Pink bought was certified organic, and she has continued to make that approach central to the operation. Pink explained her concern about the use of pesticides by pointing to the possible risks for vineyard workers. "You hear horror stories of a vineyard worker that got cut with pesticides in his leg, and now he's an amputee. Real stories," she said. Thomson, who studied restorative ecology before working in wine, also described the vineyard as a complete system. The team uses cover crops, which are plants grown to help support soil and the wider vineyard environment. It also has native plantings, owl boxes and bluebird boxes. Thomson said the aim is to maintain healthy soil with good drainage and nutrients. These factors matter because grapevines depend on the soil in which they grow, while the plants and animals around them form part of the wider vineyard ecosystem. The wines are grown on 25 certified-organic acres in Santa Barbara County. This is part of the larger 200-acre ranch that Pink and Hart bought in 2013. Building Two Wolves The winery's name comes from a teaching story about two wolves living inside a person. One represents qualities such as greed, envy, anger, jealousy, selfishness and fear, while the other represents curiosity, compassion, generosity and love. When asked which wolf wins, the answer is, "The one you feed." Pink said she has always known the story as a Cherokee legend, while noting that the Two Wolves property sits on Chumash land. For her, the story represents balance and the choices people make. The winery has also become a project led by women. Pink built the Two Wolves team with five women. Thomson said the project gave her an opportunity to continue working in wine while also having space for family life. Pink said she had never had a female mentor before working on Two Wolves. She described the experience of working with women in charge as different from what she had known earlier in her career.