Our Story

It sounds like a joke, but it's actually the unlikely origin story of R. Degen Wines.

Before it was a label, R. Degen began as a conversation between people who had found one another through unexpected turns.

Adam Goldsmith first met Mark Gamache through a military internship program. Adam, a former Naval Intelligence Officer, and Mark, a Marine Corps veteran, came from different branches of service but recognized in each other something familiar: discipline, curiosity, and a deep appreciation for things made with purpose. Wine became their common language. They spoke often about vineyards, producers, vintages, and the quiet thrill of discovering a bottle that seemed to hold not just flavor, but also a place, a season, and a story.

Their friendship grew around that pursuit: the search for the next great bottle.

R. Degen was founded to answer a question first asked around a Passover table: what would happen if kosher wine were approached without apology, without shortcuts, and without compromise?

Our wines begin with thoughtfully selected vineyards and a reverence for farming, fruit, and place. They are crafted non-mevushal, with intention and restraint, allowing the character of the vineyard to speak clearly. Every decision is made in service of a larger purpose: to create wines that feel worthy of the tables they are poured upon.

R. Degen is the product of an unlikely meeting, a shared heritage, and a belief that tradition is not a limitation. It is a foundation.

And like all meaningful origin stories, ours begins at a table with a glass raised, a question asked, and a future quietly taking shape.