Leading Napa-based wine business appoints Sake industry veteran and world-renowned Kikesake-Shi, Stuart Morris
Napa, CA (March 13, 2024) – John Anthony Family of Wines, founded by vintner John Anthony Truchard, announces the hiring of Kikesake-shi, sake brewer, and Master of Sake, Stuart Morris. Morris joins John Anthony Family of Wines after a storied career with Michelin-starred restaurants, world-renowned sushi establishments, and most recently at Michael Mina’s PABU in San Francisco. The addition of Morris to the John Anthony Family of Wines team positions the company to broaden its focus on high-quality, farm-to-glass, food-friendly beverages.
“Sake has been on my radar for a while, from both a personal interest and seeing an opportunity for growth here in the U.S. A chance meeting with Stuart in 2023 has set us on path to bringing high-quality Sakes to American consumers in a very organic and authentic way,” said John Anthony Truchard, Founder and CEO, John Anthony Family of Wines. “We’ve had exceptional success with our wine brands by focusing on delivering the best-possible quality across varietals and regions in every price point. Stuart and I share a pursuit of exceptional quality and a desire to share our products with broad audiences. Stuart is extremely talented and deeply passionate about Sake and I’m thrilled he’s joined the John Anthony team.”
As Director of Sake, Morris will lead the development of a traditionally-made, rice-to-bottle Sake portfolio hand-crafted at famous Shindo brewery in Yonezawa, in the Yamagata prefecture. In 2009 Morris passed the rigorous Kikesake-Shi exam in Japanese in Tokyo—one of only a few non-Japanese natives to do so. The exam requires a thorough knowledge of the nuances and variables of rice, water, yeast and other factors that play into the production of Sake, a blind tasting of Sake, and an appreciation for Sake’s role in Japanese society and history.
“It is my privilege to have learned Sake brewing from one of the foremost Sake breweries in Japan and I’m passionate about honoring that discipline of traditional Sake making, while introducing more people to this celebrated beverage. John and I had a great connection as soon as we met and I knew John Anthony would be the right environment for me to make real Sakes for an increasingly curious U.S. market,” said Morris.
Recognized repeatedly in the Impact Hot Brands and Blue Chip Brands awards, the John Anthony Family of Wines team comprises experts in branding, design, marketing, production and distribution sales and has a proven track record in bringing successful products to market. The company looks forward to introducing its new line of Sakes in the coming months. Please direct trade inquiries to: Art@JAVWine.com.
About John Anthony Family of Wines
John Anthony Family of Wines includes John Anthony Vineyards, Serial Wines, Weather Wines, and JaM Cellars. John Anthony Vineyards produces exclusive wines created from small vineyard sites in Oak Knoll District, Carneros, Calistoga and Coombsville regions, all available in the winery’s downtown Napa Tasting Lounge. Serial Wines is a curated collection of wines from Paso Robles and beyond—lush, and vibrant, sourced from exceptional vineyards in this exciting wine region. Weather Wines is a collection of Burgundian varietal wines grown in their most-perfect microclimates and highlighting the dynamic relationship between vines, terroir, and the elements. JaM Cellars was founded in 2009 in response to the downturn in the economy and experienced triple-digit growth in its early years by offering wines made in the tradition of great California winemaking at accessible sub $20 price points. Today, Butter Chardonnay from JaM Cellars is the #2 selling chardonnay above $13 in the U.S. (source: Nielsen scan data 2024).
