TEXTILES TO TERROIR
Coral Wang, Textile/Surface Design ’06, weaves art and design savvy into her California wine brand
After several intense years developing prints and sourcing fabric for New York fashion companies such as Ralph Lauren and Rachel Roy, Coral Wang was burned out. The New Jersey native had always been interested in wine—her father collected California vintages—and so she sought a fresh start in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2015, working in restaurants and nurturing that interest into a full-blown passion.
After a couple of years managing wine programs for restaurants, Wang was ready for a new challenge: learning to farm grapes and make wine.
“I’ve always been extremely curious by nature,” she says, “wanting to understand how things are made and where they come from.”
In 2017, Wang landed an apprenticeship at Domaine Mamaruta, a winery nestled between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean in the Languedoc region of southern France, which turned into a three-year immersion, living and working with owner Marc Castan, who became her mentor. In 2021, after returning to the U.S. and moving to the city of Sonoma, Wang launched her own natural wine brand, Maison des Plaisances (“house of pleasures”).
“I want to shine a fresher light on California’s noble varieties,” Wang says, like Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. “The way Napa Cabernet started out was not what we think of it today.” The early wines, she explains, were brighter in style, with lower alcohol, because winemakers typically harvested the grapes earlier in the season to retain acidity.
Working with the grape varieties that grow best in Napa Valley and Sonoma County, rather than seeking out trendy, esoteric varieties from other regions, reduces her winery’s environmental footprint. “All my fruit comes from within a few miles of the winery,” Wang explains. “My home is also minutes away, so I’m able to walk through all of the vineyards I work with every day.”
Though she says vineyard work is far from glamorous—it involves lots of solitary, physical labor—it’s what she loves most about winemaking.
Farming and fashion intersect at Maison des Plaisances. Wang designs and hand-paints her own wine labels, and she’s now launching a winery-branded line of hip-but-utilitarian workwear made from vintage and deadstock fabrics.
In late 2025, she took an even bigger leap: She left her day job at another winery’s tasting room to devote her full attention to Maison des Plaisances.
“I’ve only been able to give a small fraction of my time to my brand,” Wang says. “I’m so excited to give it all of my time.”
Photos by Eileen Roche