These days, it's glamorous to own a vineyard. From movie directors to media moguls to bankers, countless dreamers envision slapping down some topsoil in California, buying cuttings from old French vines, and growing grapes that will miraculously produce award-winning wines. The reality is, winemaking is hard physical labor. To produce great wines, a vintner needs an intimate knowledge of the land and a deep awareness of its fluctuations through the years. The Kautz family, owners of Ironstone Vineyards, have been tending the soil in the Sierra Nevada region since 1948, gradually expanding from their original 12 acres to more than 5,000 today. From Ironstone chairman John Kautz, named National Outstanding Young Farmer in 1965 (the first of many such honors), to Ironstone president Stephen Kautz, who spends his spare time tending a vegetable and herb garden, the family has a long and prosperous history as farmers.

These days, though, Ironstone Vineyards is much more than a family farm. In addition to growing grapes that produce an impressive portfolio of award-winning wines, the property boasts a seven-story entertainment complex-cum-conference center, museum, and culinary center. This month, Ironstone's talented chef, Dan Lewis, has promised us he'll recreate a Vineyard Barbecue that just may send you running off to California to try your own hand tending the vines.

Like the Kautz family, Lewis too has a long history in northern California. He began his career years ago as a dishwasher at Del Monte Lodge, now called the Lodge at Pebble Beach. Next stop: the kitchens of the famed Sonoma Mission Inn. He made a brief detour to New Orleans, where he worked at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, then returned to California and a job at the Sardine Factory in Monterey. He was working in Marin County as executive chef of All Seasons Party Productions, a catering company with a high profile clientele, when in 1998, Ironstone came calling. Since then, Lewis has been creating fresh, seasonal cuisine perfect for a congenial June cookout.