Ross leaves CAWG
Karen Ross, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers since 1996, left CAWG on Nov. 30. She joins the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a senior advisor to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. At press time, a replacement for Ross had not been announced.

Vineyard Team wins national honor
The Central Coast Vineyard Team (vineyardteam.org) received the U.S. EPA’s Sustained Excellence in Integrated Pest Management Award. CCVT was singled out for its continued efforts in pest management.

Sebastianis spin off The Other Guys
Don Sebastiani & Sons, Sonoma, spun off its The Other Guys division Jan. 1, and named August Sebastiani president. The fourth-generation member of the California wine clan had been the unit’s managing director, increasing production from 5,000 to 140,000 cases since 2002. Richard Zeller, one of the company’s original employees, was named COO. The Other Guys produce small lots and will concentrate on national distribution of brands including Plungerhead and Hey Mambo.

Mattson joins Jordan  
Jordan Winery & Vineyard, Alexander Valley (Sonoma County), appointed Lisa Mattson communications director, focused primarily on video production and social media. Previously, Mattson worked with Wilson Daniels Ltd.

Dry Creek Valley names marketer
Cheryl Beeson was named director of marketing and communications for the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma County). Previously, she was a regional manager for Nestle USA.

Warehouse arsonist sentenced
Mark Anderson, Sausalito, pled guilty in November to 19 federal charges including arson, fraud and tax evasion. The charges stemmed from the October 2005 fire  that destroyed the Wine Central warehouse in Vallejo. Anderson admitted he set the warehouse blaze to conceal years of embezzling wine from clients of his former wine storage business, Sausalito Cellars. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 26; the federal prosecutor has recommended a sentence of 188 months.

Frisinger chairs AVF  
The American Vineyard Foundation named its long-time board member Jim Frisinger chairman for the 2010 term. Frisinger spent decades at Beringer Vineyards, overseeing almost 4,000 acres of North Coast vineyards. The mission of AVF is to raise funds to address grape and wine industry research priorities. Visit avf.org for more.

O’Leary named VP/GM at Adler Fels  
Adler Fels Winery, Santa Rosa, promoted Daniel O’Leary to vice president/general manager to oversee the private and control label wine producer’s 100-plus brands. Previously he was national director of retail development.

Dearden to concentrate on consulting
Chris Dearden, founding winemaker of Napa’s Benessere Vineyards 14 years ago, is leaving the winery to focus on his Costa Del Sol Consulting business. Clients include Shibumi Knoll, V. Madrone and Chankaska Creek, and his own brands—Chanticleer Yountville, Sleeping Giant Napa Valley and Costa del Sol. He also manages a 12-acre Carneros Pinot Noir vineyard and is a partner in Gamba USA, an Italian cooper of French Oak barrels. Contact him at (707) 363-8555.

Melka Wines redesigns 
After 10 years, Melka Wines, St. Helena, revamped labels for its Métisse and CJ Philippe Melka brands. Wiegard Creative, Chicago, designed the new image.

Richardson is Artesa GM
Walter “Rich” Richardson was appointed general manager of Artesa Vineyards & Winery, Carneros. Previously, Richardson was VP/director of sales and marketing at Justin Vineyards and Winery.

Molinari joins Kunde 
Kunde Family Estate, Kenwood, appointed William Molinari its chief financial officer. Most recently with pharmaceutical company DEY LP, Molinari has worked with Fosters Wine Estates Americas and F. Korbel & Bros.

CAWG elects Kim Ledbetter Bronson
The California Association of Winegrape Growers named Kim Ledbetter Bronson its first female chair. Heidi Scheid and David Weiss were elected vice chairs; Tom Murphy, secretary; J.R. Shannon, treasurer; Nat DiBuduo and Carson Smith at-large directors. New directors are J.R. Harkey, Nicholas Miller, Jason Smith, Lee Hudson and Robert Hopkins.