Q&A with Anne Moller-Racke, Blue Farm Wines
Anne Moller-Racke grew up in Oberwesel, Germany, a small town along the Rhine River. She came to California to work a harvest, but the plan was to return home after it concluded. Instead, she went to work for Buena Vista Winery as their Viticulturist. Following that, she launched Donum Estate, while also planting a vineyard…
Q&A with Victoria De Crescenzo, Bevan Cellars
Victoria De Crescenzo was born in Southern California, surrounded by horse farms and orange groves. Wine was not a part of her world until she moved to Des Moines and began attending wine-tasting classes at a local wine shop. After meeting Russell Bevan, a colleague in the dental industry, they began making wine together. Their…
Q&A with Alice van Ommeren, The Wine Data Researcher
Alice van Ommeren was born in Amsterdam, lived in Belgium and France during her early childhood years, and then, as a teenager, moved to Phoenix, AZ. Although wine was on the communal lunch table in grammar school, the kids were not interested; instead, they fought over the Sprite. Alice went on to pursue degrees in…
Q&A with Katie Carter, Winemaker, Boisset Collection
Katie Carter grew up in Forestville. Although her dad loved wine, she didn’t take any interest in the wine industry until she had an opportunity to utilize her college biology and chemistry lab skills during a harvest internship. That led to working with Greg La Follette and an opportunity go to South Africa to work…
Q&A with Laurence Donald, Parum Leo
Laurence Donald began his career with a degree in Business Administration and in a few roles in finance and sales but wanted something more. A friend pointed out that he had grown up in wine country, had talked enthusiastically about his winemaking endeavors with his dad, and was clearly excited about wine, that perhaps he…
Q&A with Alexis Iaconis, brick & mortar wines
Alexis dreamed of being an artist, but the pragmatic side of her thought cooking, or possibly wine, would allow her to utilize her creativity while earning a living. Matt was on his way to being an astronaut when he discovered wine while taking a class at UC Davis. They met while working at Meadowood, where…
Q&A with Liz Dickson, Grower Relations, Suterra
Liz Dickson grew up in California’s Central Valley; her father was an auto electrician and her mother worked for the County. She thought she wanted to be a corporate attorney and work on Wall Street. But she eventually discovered her passion is for agriculture, and so she pursued a master’s degree in plant science at Cal…
Q&A with Tony Lombardi, Lombardi Wines
The Lombardi Family has lived in Petaluma for more than 75 years, passing down the love of wine from generation to generation. But it wasn’t until 2013, that Lombardi Wines was launched to honor the family’s Italian heritage and to provide a living legacy for Tony & Christine Lombardi’s two sons, Aidan and Drew. It…
Q&A with Jill Giacomini Basch, Co-Owner, Point Reyes Cheese
Jill Giacomini Basch grew up in Point Reyes on a dairy farm, that was started by her father, a second-generation dairy farmer. After growing his herd to over 500 dairy cows, and successfully operating a fluid-milk dairy widely recognized for its quality product, he realized that an operation of that size was placing stress on…
Q&A with Jay Sweet, Sweet Family Vineyards
While attending college in the South Bay, Jay Sweet got a job at San Martin Winery where he would host guests for winetasting and sell their wines at a nearby San Jose flea market. The experience gave him the foundation for a life-long pursuit of learning about and enjoying wine. After college, he became a…
Q&A with Jose Cruz, Keller Estate
Jose Cruz grew up in Argentina on his family’s sugar cane farm. Wine was present at most family gatherings, and as a child, he was allowed occasional sips while hearing about its health benefits. He inherited his grandfather’s adventurous spirit and began his wine journey after completing his primary education. It has taken him to…
Q&A with Doug Cover, PGWA Emeritus Board Member
As PGWA celebrates its 5th Anniversary of the approval of the Petaluma Gap American Viticultural Area, we couldn’t think of a better person to highlight in this month’s newsletter than Doug Cover. He is a retired environmental sciences consultant and was a key member of the team, along with a few of our winemakers, growers…
Q&A with Johannes Scheid, Winemaker, Schug Winery
Johannes Scheid grew up beside a vineyard in Germany and always knew he wanted to work in the wine industry. He graduated from Geisenheim University, the top viticulture and enology training program in his country; Walter Schug, a leading pioneer for Pinot Noir in California, came to speak to students there, and afterward, he was…
Q&A with Emily Ash Lamb, McEvoy Ranch
Emily Ash Lamb grew up in the best kitchens in Sonoma County and learned about food and wine from great chefs like her dad, John Ash. After graduation, when it came time to work, she pursued her dream of being a performer in LA and NYC. Like many budding performers, she also worked in restaurants…
Q&A with Robert & Laura Schermeister, Schermeister Winery
Robert Schermeister was born in Idaho Falls and got a degree in Biochemistry. Laura Erickson was born in California, but was brought up in North Carolina. She dreamt of returning to California one day and did after college, but hated LA and moved back to Charlotte to launch her graphic design career. He thought he…
Q&A with Frank and Stacey Gambonini, Gambonini Family Ranch
Frank Gambonini grew up on his family’s ranch off Lakeville Highway in Petaluma; Stacey grew up on the south side of Chicago. They met in 1991 and married in 1994. They have three daughters, all of whom are pursuing agriculture as a career. At one point the Gambonini’s had 600 cows on the ranch and…
Q&A with Ed Grossi, Sweet Lane Nursery & Vineyard
Ed Grossi grew up on a dairy ranch in Marin County, along with his nine siblings; while in high school, he participated in 4-H and Future Farmers of Amerca (FFA) showing dairy cows at local fairs. After graduation from Cal Poly, working on a hay ranch and growing a fertilizer business kept him busy. In…
Q&A with Meghan Delzell, Sangiacomo Family Wines
Meghan Delzell grew up on the east coast in Londonderry, NH. She was the drum major in her high school band and had the opportunity to march in the Rose Bowl Parade. She went on to major in Biochemistry at UNH and after college headed west. After three weeks of exploring and camping while traversing…
Q&A with Loraine Lee, Suterra
You got your degree at University of Pacific; what attracted you to attend that school? Did you grow up in California? I grew up on the Peninsula (Bay Area) and always thought I was going to be a dentist. UOP was a perfect choice for that path. After graduation, while studying for the DAT and…
Q&A with Kenny Kahn, Gapstone Vineyard
Kenny Kahn grew up in Schlater, Mississippi on a thousand-acre cotton and soybean farm. His family ate BBQ and drank Bourbon, and on special holidays they served Mogan David wine. After a family friend introduced him to the world of fine wine with the gift of a bottle of 1978 BV George de Latour, Kenny…
Q&A with Sarah Jump & Kevin Koch, Light of Day Wines
Kevin’s grandfather owned a vineyard; as a child, he loved to spend time there and the annual rhythm from bud-break to bottle seemed natural. Kevin met Sarah while working at a winery. When the opportunity arose for them to take over a property in Petaluma, they started with chickens for eggs. To complete the dream…
Q&A with Jesus Torres Martinez, Redwood Empire Vineyard Management
Jesus Torres Martinez, known by his friends and co-workers as “Chui,” developed his love of agriculture while working in the fields in Mexico, just as his family has done for generations. The day after he arrived in Sonoma County, he met his current employer, Kevin Barr, at Redwood Empire Vineyard Management, and has worked with…
Q&A with Kim Badenfort, Wine Industry Network
Kim Badenfort, Director of Marketing Services, Wine Industry Network and a PGWA Board Member, grew up in Denmark. After earning a degree in Rhetoric at the University of Copenhagen, he served in the Danish miltary where he taught medics how to provide first aid in combat. He didn’t drink any alcohol until he moved to…
Q&A with Kevin Bersofsky, Winemaker-Owner, Montagne Russe Wines
Kevin Bersofsky’s dad was a “rocket scientist,” who designed control systems for ballistic missiles and spy satellites. As a kid, Kevin was challenged to “think deeper” and not just settle for an easy answer. Taking that cue, he went on to graduate from Cornell with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. One of his first jobs…
Q&A with Sherry Crichfield, Co-Owner, Crichfield + Black
Sherry Crichfield grew up on a tobacco farm in Southern Ohio; the farm was regulated by the US Government’s New Deal Quota System. Her family had 7-10 acres of Burley tobacco, which she and her siblings farmed along with her mother. Later in life, she went on to become a sales rep, where she gained…
Q&A with Randy Bennett, Winemaker & General Manager, Sojourn Cellars
Randy Bennett started his career at Accenture, a well-known international business consultancy that empowers companies to be their best. Driven by his passion for wine, in 2006 he left the comfort of a successful career as a consultant, to pursue winemaking. His first position in the wine industry was interning with Thomas Brown and Mike…
Q&A with Heidi Bridenhagen, Winemaker, MacRostie Winery and Vineyards
Heidi’s eyes were opened to the world of wine after an internship in the lab at Jackson Family Wines. Armed with a degree in biochemistry, and following stints at various winery lab and cellar facilities, she soon decided her life’s goal was to become a great winemaker. Heidi was hired at MacRostie in 2011, first…
Q&A with Alex Guarachi, Owner, Guarachi Family Wines & Guarachi Wine Partners
Soccer was his first love. But after an athletic injury, he realized that going pro was no longer an option and he needed to find a different career. He had the idea to become an importer of Chilean wines and found a brand that offered a good quality-to-price ratio. But before he could expand that…
Q&A with Garry Brooks, Brooks Note Winery
Garry started his career as a sailor in the Navy, stationed on the USS Fletcher, where he worked mostly on the bridge of the ship, 40 feet above the water, helping to keep it on course. There he learned that through willpower and tenacity, one can accomplish anything. Twenty-hour days were the norm. He learned…
Q&A with Emma Rosenbush & Charlie Miller, Tomales Vineyard
Charlie grew up with the scent of ferments in his family’s garage in Woodside CA and has made wine for Mt Difficulty (NZ), AP Vin, and La Honda Winery. Emma experienced the freedom and art and chaos of being a teenager in NYC and then after college went on to start a pop-up restaurant in…
Q&A with Mike & Bea Charles, Owners, Lavio Vineyard
When Bea’s dad started talking about succession planning for his dairy ranch, she and her husband, Mike, thought they might finally make their dream of owning a vineyard come true. But it wasn’t until a chance meeting at a PGWA BBQ that Bea’s dad was convinced by Mr. Flocchini that grapes were a good alternative…
Q&A with Mike & Lorraine Barber, Winemaker-Owners, Barber Cellars
Mike grew up in California and Lorraine is from Toronto; as a young adult, she didn’t even like wine. When Mike told Lorraine he wanted to make some wine, her first thought was “it would be from a kit,” but that’s not what he had in mind. To his surprise, she agreed. They hauled a…
Q&A with Mia Stornetta, Atlas Vineyard Management
Growing up, Mia Stornetta’s family almost always had wine on their dinner table, while the conversation focused on cows and grapes. During high school, she participated in pruning contests and when it came time to decide on a career path, there wasn’t any question about pursuing agriculture. Mia headed south from Sonoma to attend Cal…
Q&A with Gray Randolph, Gray Randolph Wines
Gray Randolph grew up in Virginia Beach in the 80’s, and started his career as a professional musician, playing drums for Locals Only, the rock band that opened for The Ramones and The Romantics. After 7 years of living out of a suitcase and staying up til 3 in the morning, he decided to get…
Q&A with Suzanne Farver, Panther Ridge
Suzanne Farver’s search for the perfect vineyard didn’t yield the results she was seeking; but once she found the perfect home with ten acres on a ridge of hay and thistle halfway up Sonoma Mountain, the path forward was settled. She would develop the vineyard herself. It required moving tons of boulders and a battle…
Q&A with Dr Liz Thach, MW, Emeritus Member of PGWA’s Board of Directors & Distinguished Professor of Wine, Sonoma State University
Wine is her passion. In little more than a decade, Liz Thach achieved a Master of Wine, was awarded a Fulbright to teach in Argentina about the business of wine, and began teaching at Sonoma State University, where she currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Wine. Liz was recently appointed as an Emeritus member of…
Q&A with Byron Kosuge, Winemaker, McEvoy Ranch
Byron Kosuge grew up in California’s Central Valley as a second generation Japanese American. His father was raised on a farm in Colorado and became a professor at UC Davis in Plant Pathology; agriculture was a natural part of Byron’s DNA. But it wasn’t until college that Byron discovered wine while working at a restaurant…
Q&A with Joseph Ryan, Winemaker, Ernest Vineyards
Wine was “not so much” a part of his life growing up in a small farming town in Iowa, except as an altar boy. After college he worked as a skid-loader, movie projector operator and bartender. It wasn’t until he travelled the country as an actor and started a two-year acting program in NYC that…
Q&A with Evan Pontoriero, Co-Owner/Winemaker for Fogline Vineyards
You grew up in Pennsylvania in an Italian family and your grandparents made wine. What role did wine play in family gatherings? Did your grandfather’s hobby influence your decision to become a winemaker and winery owner? Sunday dinner was a big event for our family, exactly what you can imagine from how it is portrayed…
Q&A with Keri Ueberroth Owner/Grower, Ueberroth Vineyards
Welcome to the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers! You are our newest grower member. In 2017 you purchased 80 acres of unused grasslands on Adobe Road. How did you choose the site? I had been looking at potential vineyard sites for about 3 years. The property was not yet on the market and Bob Gregg and David…
Q&A with Erica Stancliff, Winemaker for Trombetta Family Wines and Pfendler Vineyards
We know you grew up in a food-centric family. What is your first recollection of tasting wine and realizing that you liked it? Do you remember what variety it was and why you liked it? Were you certain at that time that wine was a direction you’d like to go in as you grew up?…
Q&A with Al & Lisa Brayton, Owners of Thirty-Seven Wines and Paradise Vineyard
Al, you grew up in Shasta County CA and, after getting out of high school, attended the US Air Force Academy. Did you know at the time that you wanted to be an attorney? Did you plan to own a vineyard? What twists and turns did your life take along the way? When I entered…
Q&A with John Flynn, Owner/Grower, Griffins Lair
You grew up in the Midwest in farm country. Your mom and dad were college professors, but your mom grew up on a ranch near Santiago, Chile. What influence did that have on your decision to become a vineyard owner/grower? My family has been ranching since the early 1900s. My great grandfather grew up in…
Q&A with Cody & Emily Rasmussen, Desire Lines Wine Co
You both grew up in Iowa and wine wasn’t part of your family experiences. Do you remember the first wine you tasted and whether you liked it? Cody: Outside of communion at the Lutheran church I grew up in, the first wine I ever tasted was at the Morgenhof Estate in Stellenbosh, South Africa. I…
Q&A with Ana Keller, Grower & Estate Director, Keller Estate
You were 18 years old, living in Mexico City and just about to enter college when your father purchased 650 acres of land in Petaluma. As a teenager, were you excited about spending time in California? Did you ever think you’d one day be responsible for growing and selling grapes and being in the California wine industry? I’ve always loved plants,…
Q&A with Kerith Overstreet, Bruliam Wines
Your dad inspired you to be a doctor and get your MD degree, which you did in 1998, yet you’ve chosen to be a winemaker. Tell us what inspired you to go from pathologist to enologist? Do you ever think about going back to medicine? Throughout medical school and residency training, I was always an enthusiastic…
Q&A with Ron Noble, Noble Family Vineyards
You and your wife, Yun Chu, have a 24–acre vineyard in the Petaluma Gap. How and when did you acquire the land and why did you choose this site? We acquired the property in 1999 with the aspiration that one day there would be a vineyard there. The vineyard wasn’t developed until 2008. We wanted to make sure we…
Q&A with Tom & Ashley Darling, Co-Owners of Darling Wines
The two of you met at college while you were students. When did you first start talking about making wine? Were you both “all in” or did one of you have to talk the other into it? Tom: We didn’t really think about wine until a couple of years after graduating. In 2014 we were…
Q&A with Hsiomei Hung & Roger Mead, Lichau Hill Vineyards
Neither of you have backgrounds in viticulture–you’re both urban professionals—but you moved to Sonoma Mountain after falling in love with a property that just happened to have a vineyard on it. When did it become “real” to you that you are now grape-growers? Were there ever any doubts or regrets? Moving to this property is the best…
Q&A with Winemaker, Tom Gendall, Cline Cellars
Given your accent, we know you’re not from California. Can you tell us where you were born and what motivated you to get into the wine industry? I am from Christchurch, New Zealand and lived there until 2011, when I moved to Sonoma. The high school I attended was broad-minded; in our final two years…
Q&A with Grower, Scott Welch, Jackson Family Wines
Why did you choose viticulture as your profession and how did you get your first job? I grew up on a Chardonnay vineyard in Potter Valley, Mendocino County and life revolved around viticulture and the ranch, so I guess I was born into that first job. When did you start working with Jackson Family Wines…
Q&A with Winemaker Jake Hawkes, Carpenter Wines
You and your dad started making wine together. You’ve said he’s the smartest man you know. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from him about the business of winemaking? My dad taught me the value of being stubborn and oblivious. This is a hard business and, to some extent, a changeable one. It takes years…
Q&A with Grower, Scott Tweten, Volamus Vineyards
Your vineyard property at one time had five different grape varieties, but now it’s all Pinot Noir. Why did you make this change? When we purchased the property in 2006, the existing vineyard had been planted with the idea that the prior owner, who intended to make their own wine, wouldn’t have to drink the…
Q&A with Winemaker Shane Finley, Thirty-Seven Wines
You’ve said that the book, Wine for Dummies, got you hooked on the idea of becoming a winemaker. When did you first think it might be possible to earn a living as a winemaker? Were there any setbacks or turns in the road that made you think twice? What did your parents say? After returning from…
Q&A with Grower Ria D’Aversa, McEvoy Ranch
Are you farming sustainably and/or organically and what specific practices are you most proud of? McEvoy Ranch is certified organic by CCOF and it is something we are very proud of. Our founder, Nan McEvoy, and the ranch team developed the land through regenerative cycling of nutrients and detailed care for each crop planted, and…
Q&A with Garrett Martin, Adobe Road Winemaker
Which vineyards in the Petaluma Gap do you source fruit from and what made you select these vineyard sites? I source fruit across the Petaluma Gap. In the south I partner with Griffin’s Lair for Pinot Noir, and the Sangiacomo family for Syrah. In the north Gap I source from the Sangiacomo’s Roberts Road Vineyard…