News Briefs California
Dry Creek hires new winemaker
Tim Bell is the new winemaker at Dry Creek Vineyard. Bell first joined Dry Creek in 2011 after working at Kunde Family Estate winery in Kenwood. Bell is only the fifth winemaker in the winery’s 40 years of business. Details: drycreekvineyard.com.
Banfi, Korbel negotiate sale of Kenwood
Sonoma County sparkling wine producer Korbel Champagne Cellars is negotiating with Banfi Vintners for the sale of Kenwood Vineyards. Korbel purchased Kenwood in 1999 and has grown the brand to more than 550,000 cases. Based in New York, Banfi Vintners is owned by the Mariani family that purchased the Pacific Rim Winery in Washington state in 2010. The sale is expected to be complete in June.
New winemaker at Justin
The Central Coast’s Justin Vineyards & Winery announced the appointment of Scott Shirley as winemaker. In his new role, Shirley will oversee all winemaking, cellar, laboratory and bulk inventory operations. Shirley’s career has been focused on working with Bordeaux varieties with prior posts at Napa wineries The Hess Collection and Opus One.
Italian winemaker joins Napa staff
Sebastiano Rosa, winemaker with Tenuta San Guido, is now a consulting member of the winemaking team at Napa Valley’s Castello di Amorosa. Rosa, who graduated from UC Davis in 1990, joins Brooks Painter, Peter Velleno and Laura Orozco at the winery, which specializes in Italian-style red wines. Details: castellodiamorosa.com.
Two new sales VPs at DFV
DFV Wines promoted Chris Appel and Eric Zadina into the new positions of vice president for sales west and vice president for sales east. Appel joined DFV Wines in 2008 as regional sales manager for the north central division and was promoted to division sales manager in 2010. Previously, Appel spent 21 years with Coca Cola Bottling. Zadina led the northeast sales team for DFV Wines, and he brings more than two decades of experience with major beverage companies including Fosters Wine Estates and Nestle Waters. Details: dfvwines.com.
French Camp hires vineyard manager
Greg Phelan, former vineyard manager of Solomon Hills Vineyards in Santa Maria Valley, is now the vineyard manager for French Camp Vineyards, located in the Paso Robles AVA. Both companies are part of Thornhill Cos., which is owned by the Miller family of Santa Maria. Details: frenchcampvineyards.com.
Tanner winemaker at Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre Vineyard hired Santa Maria Valley wine industry veteran Lane Tanner as winemaker. Tanner inherits the winemaking reins from Steve Rasmussen. Tanner has made wine from Sierra Madre Vineyard fruit for the Hitching Post brand and her own Lane Tanner label since 1984. Details: sierramadrevineyard.com.
Caymus winemaker honored
Winemaker Chuck Wagner of Napa Valley’s Caymus Vineyards will receive the Professional Excellence in Oenology Award at the 15th annual Gold Coast Classic for his contributions to the American wine industry. The award was presented by the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) and Quarterly Review of Wines. Chuck Wagner co-founded Caymus Vineyards in 1972 at the age of 19 with parents Charlie and Lorna Belle Glos Wagner in Rutherford, Calif.
OFFbeat Brands to focus on millennials
Wine and spirits entrepreneur Mike Kenton launched OFFbeat Brands, a new company that develops, sources and markets wine and spirit brands from around the globe. With plans to introduce several new products in 2012, Petaluma, Calif.-based OFFbeat is aiming to penetrate the U.S. market with wines and spirits targeted to millennials and Generation X consumers. Details: offbeatbrands.com.
McCarthy joins Ferrari-Carano
Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery appointed Timothy McCarthy as managing director. McCarthy is responsible for sales in all markets throughout the country and working with Ferrari-Carano’s regional sales managers and distributors. Prior to Ferrari-Carano, McCarthy was managing director of Southern Wine & Spirits. Details: ferrari-carano.com.
Monterey Wine Co. hires winemaker
Monterey Wine Co., a custom-processing winery on the Central Coast, hired Jamie Meves as director of operations and chief winemaker. Meves will be responsible for all aspects of winemaking and production. Prior to joining Monterey Wine Co., Meves was the director of operations and director of winemaking at Constellation’s Gonzales, Calif., winery. Details montereywinecompany.com.
Hopkins joins Folio as PR director
Folio Fine Wine Partners announced the appointment of Rebecca Hopkins to the position of public relations director. Hopkins is a wine-marketing graduate of Adelaide University who holds nearly two decades of marketing and communications experience across the United States, Europe and Australia. Details: foliowine.com.
SummerWood hires new management
Wine industry veterans Shayne Kline and Kim Murphy-Rodrigues joined SummerWood winery in Paso Robles as general manager and assistant general manager. Kline’s most recent post was plant manager for The Wine Group, and Rodrigues previously worked as vice president of sales and marketing for Santa Barbara-based Conway Family Wines. Details: summerwoodwine.com.
Baker promoted to senior sales exec
Shannon Ridge Winery promoted Chris Baker to senior vice president of sales and marketing. Baker is responsible for national sales, pricing initiatives, marketing, hiring and training of future employees as well as the development of internal policies and procedures for the winery located in Lake County. Details: shannonridge.com.
Bouchaine names communications director
Carla Bosco has joined Bouchaine Vineyards as director o f communications. Bosco will lead all marketing and public relations for the winery located in the Carneros region of Napa County. She formerly worked in marketing for Whitehall Lane Winery and led public relations and marketing for the nonprofit group Women For WineSense. Details: bouchaine.com.
Patz & Hall names assistant winemaker
Patz & Hall winery named James McCeney as its new assistant winemaker. McCeney will be working alongside winemaker James Hall to produce Patz & Hall’s portfolio of vineyard-designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as the winery’s Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Most recently, McCeney was the assistant winemaker at Napa Valley’s Acacia Winery. Details: patzhall.com.
Staglin president of family winery
Staglin Family Vineyard announced the promotion of Shannon Staglin from general manager to president of the Napa Valley winery. Prior to working at the winery, Staglin served as a marketing consultant for Wells Fargo Wealth Management. Details: staglinfamily.com.
UC Irvine offers wine management online
The University of California, Irvine, Extension is offering a new online wine management program. The program is designed for chefs, restaurateurs, aspiring sommeliers, wait staff, hobbyists and consumers seeking a career change or advancement within the wine and food business, hospitality and related industries. Details: unex.uci.edu.
Cameron Hughes expands sales team
Cameron Hughes Wine, an American producer and négociant, has expanded its sales team with four new hires: Christine Zecker, regional manager, northeast; Tony Cannilla, regional manager, New York and New Jersey; Chelsea Blalock, regional manager, south; and Kevin Conboy, regional manager, west. Details: chwine.com.
Ladera welcomes Barrett
Jade Barrett joined Howell Mountain’s Ladera Vineyards as associate winemaker. Previously, Barrett was the associate winemaker at Jericho Canyon Vineyards in Calistoga. Details: laderavineyards.com.
Banfi, Korbel negotiate sale of Kenwood
Sonoma County sparkling wine producer Korbel Champagne Cellars is negotiating with Banfi Vintners for the sale of Kenwood Vineyards. Korbel purchased Kenwood in 1999 and has grown the brand to more than 550,000 cases. Based in New York, Banfi Vintners is owned by the Mariani family that purchased the Pacific Rim Winery in Washington state in 2010. The sale is expected to be complete in June.
New winemaker at Justin
The Central Coast’s Justin Vineyards & Winery announced the appointment of Scott Shirley as winemaker. In his new role, Shirley will oversee all winemaking, cellar, laboratory and bulk inventory operations. Shirley’s career has been focused on working with Bordeaux varieties with prior posts at Napa wineries The Hess Collection and Opus One.
Italian winemaker joins Napa staff
Sebastiano Rosa, winemaker with Tenuta San Guido, is now a consulting member of the winemaking team at Napa Valley’s Castello di Amorosa. Rosa, who graduated from UC Davis in 1990, joins Brooks Painter, Peter Velleno and Laura Orozco at the winery, which specializes in Italian-style red wines. Details: castellodiamorosa.com.
Two new sales VPs at DFV
DFV Wines promoted Chris Appel and Eric Zadina into the new positions of vice president for sales west and vice president for sales east. Appel joined DFV Wines in 2008 as regional sales manager for the north central division and was promoted to division sales manager in 2010. Previously, Appel spent 21 years with Coca Cola Bottling. Zadina led the northeast sales team for DFV Wines, and he brings more than two decades of experience with major beverage companies including Fosters Wine Estates and Nestle Waters. Details: dfvwines.com.
French Camp hires vineyard manager
Greg Phelan, former vineyard manager of Solomon Hills Vineyards in Santa Maria Valley, is now the vineyard manager for French Camp Vineyards, located in the Paso Robles AVA. Both companies are part of Thornhill Cos., which is owned by the Miller family of Santa Maria. Details: frenchcampvineyards.com.
Tanner winemaker at Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre Vineyard hired Santa Maria Valley wine industry veteran Lane Tanner as winemaker. Tanner inherits the winemaking reins from Steve Rasmussen. Tanner has made wine from Sierra Madre Vineyard fruit for the Hitching Post brand and her own Lane Tanner label since 1984. Details: sierramadrevineyard.com.
Caymus winemaker honored
Winemaker Chuck Wagner of Napa Valley’s Caymus Vineyards will receive the Professional Excellence in Oenology Award at the 15th annual Gold Coast Classic for his contributions to the American wine industry. The award was presented by the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) and Quarterly Review of Wines. Chuck Wagner co-founded Caymus Vineyards in 1972 at the age of 19 with parents Charlie and Lorna Belle Glos Wagner in Rutherford, Calif.
OFFbeat Brands to focus on millennials
Wine and spirits entrepreneur Mike Kenton launched OFFbeat Brands, a new company that develops, sources and markets wine and spirit brands from around the globe. With plans to introduce several new products in 2012, Petaluma, Calif.-based OFFbeat is aiming to penetrate the U.S. market with wines and spirits targeted to millennials and Generation X consumers. Details: offbeatbrands.com.
McCarthy joins Ferrari-Carano
Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery appointed Timothy McCarthy as managing director. McCarthy is responsible for sales in all markets throughout the country and working with Ferrari-Carano’s regional sales managers and distributors. Prior to Ferrari-Carano, McCarthy was managing director of Southern Wine & Spirits. Details: ferrari-carano.com.
Monterey Wine Co. hires winemaker
Monterey Wine Co., a custom-processing winery on the Central Coast, hired Jamie Meves as director of operations and chief winemaker. Meves will be responsible for all aspects of winemaking and production. Prior to joining Monterey Wine Co., Meves was the director of operations and director of winemaking at Constellation’s Gonzales, Calif., winery. Details montereywinecompany.com.
Hopkins joins Folio as PR director
Folio Fine Wine Partners announced the appointment of Rebecca Hopkins to the position of public relations director. Hopkins is a wine-marketing graduate of Adelaide University who holds nearly two decades of marketing and communications experience across the United States, Europe and Australia. Details: foliowine.com.
SummerWood hires new management
Wine industry veterans Shayne Kline and Kim Murphy-Rodrigues joined SummerWood winery in Paso Robles as general manager and assistant general manager. Kline’s most recent post was plant manager for The Wine Group, and Rodrigues previously worked as vice president of sales and marketing for Santa Barbara-based Conway Family Wines. Details: summerwoodwine.com.
Baker promoted to senior sales exec
Shannon Ridge Winery promoted Chris Baker to senior vice president of sales and marketing. Baker is responsible for national sales, pricing initiatives, marketing, hiring and training of future employees as well as the development of internal policies and procedures for the winery located in Lake County. Details: shannonridge.com.
Bouchaine names communications director
Carla Bosco has joined Bouchaine Vineyards as director o f communications. Bosco will lead all marketing and public relations for the winery located in the Carneros region of Napa County. She formerly worked in marketing for Whitehall Lane Winery and led public relations and marketing for the nonprofit group Women For WineSense. Details: bouchaine.com.
Patz & Hall names assistant winemaker
Patz & Hall winery named James McCeney as its new assistant winemaker. McCeney will be working alongside winemaker James Hall to produce Patz & Hall’s portfolio of vineyard-designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as the winery’s Sonoma Coast Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Most recently, McCeney was the assistant winemaker at Napa Valley’s Acacia Winery. Details: patzhall.com.
Staglin president of family winery
Staglin Family Vineyard announced the promotion of Shannon Staglin from general manager to president of the Napa Valley winery. Prior to working at the winery, Staglin served as a marketing consultant for Wells Fargo Wealth Management. Details: staglinfamily.com.
UC Irvine offers wine management online
The University of California, Irvine, Extension is offering a new online wine management program. The program is designed for chefs, restaurateurs, aspiring sommeliers, wait staff, hobbyists and consumers seeking a career change or advancement within the wine and food business, hospitality and related industries. Details: unex.uci.edu.
Cameron Hughes expands sales team
Cameron Hughes Wine, an American producer and négociant, has expanded its sales team with four new hires: Christine Zecker, regional manager, northeast; Tony Cannilla, regional manager, New York and New Jersey; Chelsea Blalock, regional manager, south; and Kevin Conboy, regional manager, west. Details: chwine.com.
Ladera welcomes Barrett
Jade Barrett joined Howell Mountain’s Ladera Vineyards as associate winemaker. Previously, Barrett was the associate winemaker at Jericho Canyon Vineyards in Calistoga. Details: laderavineyards.com.
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