Rio Rancho board backs home winemaking plan for former deputy chief

Rio Rancho’s Planning and Zoning Board sided with former Santa Fe deputy police chief Matthew Champlin on April 14, clearing the way for him to keep pushing a home winemaking project at 3546 Red Canyon Dr. NE in Northern Meadows. The unanimous vote reversed an earlier administrative determination by City Manager Matt Geisel and gave Champlin a zoning statement that supports winemaking at the property under home occupation rules.

The dispute turned on where the city draws the line between a personal craft and a business. City staff had determined in November 2025 that “manufacturing, production, storage, and sale of alcoholic beverages” were not permitted under the home-business section of the municipal code. Geisel later ruled on February 13 that a winegrower’s license at the home would be contrary to the public interest. The board disagreed, concluding that the proposed operation would not have a negative impact on the neighborhood, which was a central issue in the appeal.

Champlin’s setup is small by design. He said he makes wine in a single 120-square-foot room in his home, with no tastings, no walk-in retail and no face-to-face sales. He also said he has been making wine for years under a personal allowance of up to 200 gallons a year. His next step is bigger but still limited in scale: about 240 gallons a year and roughly 15 to 20 products, with sales aimed online and to restaurants or wineries rather than a tasting room.

The case drew attention because it sits at the intersection of ordinary home use and business regulation. Rio Rancho’s Planning and Zoning Division has administrative approval authority for home occupation permits and also prepares recommendations on appeals for the Planning and Zoning Board and the Governing Body. The city’s planning forms page includes a separate home occupation application and appeal form, underscoring that the code already anticipates disputes over what a homeowner can do inside a residential neighborhood.

The board heard Champlin’s appeal at a 6:00 p.m. public meeting in the Rio Rancho City Council Chambers, with in-person, virtual and live-streamed participation available. The agenda packet noted that staff did not respond within the 15-day appeal window after Champlin challenged the November 2025 determination. For Rio Rancho, the ruling may do more than settle one homeowner’s plans: it could become a guidepost for other residents trying to turn a small residential craft into a regulated business without crossing the line that neighbors can reasonably object to.