NAPA / SONOMA, CALIFORNIA |May 31, 2024: On Wednesday, June 5, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the Napa | Sonoma chapter of Women For WineSense’s (WWS) Winemaking & Viticultural Roundtable will hold an engaging panel discussion exploring different ways leading winemaking and viticulture leaders are successfully holding down two or more brands, one for their full time employer or their consulting clients, while launching and scaling their own passion projects. The theme is “Multiple Brands Balancing Act: Creating Success in Your Main Role and Passion Project.” The goal will be to help attendees weigh this path if they’re thinking about it or already doing two or more brands.
The Roundtable will be generously hosted onsite at Kenwood’s historic jewel, Chateau St. Jean Estate by two WWS Roundtable members, Mari Wells Coyle, VP Winemaking for both Chateau St Jean Estate and Sebastiani Vineyards, and Foley Family Wines’ fellow Winemaker for Banshee Wines, Alicia Sylvester. Chateau St. Jean is located at 8555 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, CA, 95492.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
At 3:00 p.m. early arrivals will enjoy networking with the speakers and peers while sampling an assortment of estate wines followed by a brief 3:30 p.m. behind-the-scenes production tour and interactive panel from 3:50 to 5:30 p.m. To encourage dynamic, candid conversations and questions from attendees, this event will not be available on Zoom and will not be recorded. All attendees are asked to bring a bottle or two of wine to share as a thank you to our host and speakers.
The interactive panel will discuss their journeys, triumphs, challenges, valuable lessons learned along the way, balancing the scope of their multiple roles, a diverse set of business models, things that make it all work (or not), most useful tools, their outlook for the future and more. Discussion topics will be tailored for senior level winemaking and viticulture careers, and rising stars will certainly benefit from the information as well. Questions are welcomed and encouraged.
The esteemed panelists include Lise Asimont, Senior Vice President, Foley Family Farms, and DOT Wines Co-Founder, Winemaker & Viticulturist; Nova Cadamatre, MW, consulting winemaker and Founder / Winemaker of three brands Trestle Thirty-One, Snowshell Vineyards and Fiadh Ruadh; Evyn Cameron, consulting winemaker and Winemaker for Une Femme Wines and Buzzkill alcohol-removed wines; Jacqueline Person, Owner and Winemaker, Person Wine (Carboniste) and Winemaker for Naked Wines Bahue brand. The moderators have also simultaneously led winemaking for multiple other noted brands while developing their own passion projects; Ana Diogo-Draper, consulting winemaker and Founder, Winemaker of Ana Diogo-Draper Wines; Julie Lumgair, consulting winemaker and Founder, Winemaker of Art Nouveau Wines.
Ms. Lumgair, noted, “This is a ‘don’t miss’ opportunity for attendees to gain insights and ask candid questions in a very friendly, relaxed environment of peers, because it’s so essential to do your homework before jumping off the dock, or not! This insanely talented and hard-working group of speakers represents deep experience across decades in the industry, different primary work arrangements, a very broad range of wine regions, varietals, price points, business models, go-to-market strategies, and much more.”
RSVP DETAILS:
Please, no walk ins. The free roundtable meeting is open to active professional WWS Winemaking & Viticulture Roundtable members. Interested guest winemakers and viticulturists that have emailed and received confirmations through the Chair are warmly welcomed to attend one Roundtable for free before joining WWS if space is available. Please pre-register no later than 8 pm., June 4, 2024 at this link.
To RSVP, or for any questions on this event or future WWS events, please contact the Roundtable Chair and Chapter President, Julie[dot]Lumgair[at]gmail[dot]com.
ABOUT THE WWS WINEMAKING & VITICULTURAL ROUNDTABLE:
The Roundtable meets approximately six times a year, taking a harvest break. Current members of the WWS Napa / Sonoma W&V Roundtable work in the North Bay, Paso Robles, Santa Cruz, Central Coast and Washington, meeting both in person and though hybrid onsite / online formats.
Marisa Taylor, winemaker and WWS Roundtable Planning Committee member since 2016 noted “Our past meeting topics have focused upon the C-suite professional skills and insights women winemakers and viticultural professionals need but aren’t always easy to get in their daily work environment.”
She further explained that, “Held for over 30 years at some of Napa and Sonoma’s finest host wineries, and since 2020, expanded to both online and in person formats, our Roundtable programs have been a fantastic opportunity for over 100 member women winemakers and viticulturists to connect directly in a friendly professional forum, with experts that they otherwise wouldn’t get to meet for personal advice and questions. Some of our recent speakers have included top wine publication critics and senior editors, iconic winemakers, leading academics, global sensory consultants, sommeliers, media trainers, professional coaching experts, CFO’s and GM’s in panel discussions and key recruiters.”
To join or learn more, please visit www.womenforwinesense.org.
ABOUT WOMEN FOR WINESENSE:
WWS is a national not-for-profit organization 501(c)6. The Napa|Sonoma Chapter founded in 1990 is the founding chapter of this national organization which provides outstanding educational and networking opportunities to both wine industry professionals and wine enthusiasts by presenting educational, insightful and stimulating events in a welcoming, fun environment. Women and men 21 years old or more are welcome to join. Information on the national chapter and 12 regional chapters is at www.womenforwinesense.org.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Lise Asimont: As Senior Vice President of Foley Family Farms, Lise Asimont is responsible for managing the viticulture and winegrowing teams and working with the Foley Family Wines operations team. She joined the Foley Family Wines team in 2021. Lise specializes in vineyard cultural practices for higher wine quality and regenerative farming practices. Lise holds a master’s degree in environmental horticulture with a specialization in viticulture from UC Davis and just celebrated her 27th harvest.
With over 20 years in the wine industry, Lise Asimont is a force to be reckoned with in the world of ultra-premium winegrowing. She’s worked for several of the biggest and best wine brands in California, meticulously managing every acre of their vineyards to optimize wine quality while promoting sustainability and responsible land stewardship. In 2016, Lise founded DOT Wines, specializing in Pinot Noir, with her husband. She makes wine like a viticulturist: represent the vineyard in the bottle and let the grapes speak.
Nova Cadamatre: Over the course of almost two decades, Nova Cadamatre has become one of the most versatile and experienced winemakers in the industry. She holds a Bachelors from Cornell University in Viticulture. In 2017 she achieved the title of Master of Wine and was the first female winemaker in the US to do so. She has worked with some of the best vineyards in the world including significant time in the iconic To Kalon vineyard while working as the Senior Director of Winemaking for Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, CA. While there she crafted the #6 wine of 2022 for Wine Spectator’s top 100 list. She has been named to Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 under 40 list and has numerous 90+ scoring wines to her credit from both coasts. Prior to that, she served as Director of Winemaking for Constellation Brands’ Canandaigua Winery in New York.
Cadamatre owns three brands of her own; Trestle Thirty One and Snowshell Vineyards from the Finger Lakes and Fiadh Ruadh (Fay-ah Roo-ah) in Napa, CA. She currently goes back and forth between Napa and the Finger Lakes to manage both her projects and several consulting clients as a true “flying winemaker.”
Evyn Cameron: Born and raised in New Jersey, Evyn’s love for wine began at a young age sitting around the dinner table with her family. Her Mom, a professional perfumer, and Dad, an avid wine collector, would give Evyn a small taste of wine and a conversation would ensue. Interested to learn more, Evyn went to Boston University’s School of Hospitality and upon graduating, started her career at Thomas Keller’s restaurant, Per Se, in Manhattan. Still desiring to be immersed in winemaking, she decided to move to Napa in 2009 where she has been ever since. Starting at White Rock Vineyards and having stints at Saintsbury Winery, Seavey Winery, and going overseas to Carrick Winery, in New Zealand’s Central Otago region, Evyn returned to Napa to be the Enologist at Cliff Lede Vineyards. After four years, she then became the Assistant Winemaker at Anaba Wines and in 2017 joined Crocker & Starr Wines and soon was promoted to Head Winemaker. In May 2022, Evyn decided to focus on her winemaking consulting business and the creation of her personal wine brand.
Jacqueline Person: A first generation winemaker, Jacqueline knew she would make wine as soon as she learned it was a career path. She came to Napa Valley in 2009 after graduating with a degree in Viticulture and Enology then traveling the world to make wine in countries such as Italy, Spain and New Zealand. Through those travels, she discovered for herself that grapes truly have a distinct flavor based on where they come from. And with care, a winemaker can facilitate that expression of place through wine. These experiences have led to her positions as both owner and winemaker for Person Wine (CARBONISTE Modern Sparkling Wines) and her continuing winemaking for Naked Wines with her Bahue Wines brand. Prior to taking the leap to launch her second personal brand, Person served as Naked Wines’ Director of Winemaking.
In 2017, Jacqueline launched her second brand, CARBONISTE with her husband. They have the goal to produce modern sparkling wines from distinct vineyards and varieties across California. Together, they are breaking the mold by crafting distinct sparkling wines, including their OCTOPUS (a sparkling Albariño), their Appellation series (including Marin and Corralitos, both location specific wines), and even unique wines such as their sparkling red wine (the Belching Fish). She and her husband try to push boundaries set by traditional sparkling production from Champagne, stating that Champagne is from France and CARBONSITE is California!
ABOUT THE MODERATORS:
Ana Diogo-Draper: Born and raised in Portugal, Diogo-Draper moved to California in 2005 to join the team at Rutherford Hill Winery. In her eight-year tenure she was promoted from harvest intern to Lab Manager, and finally, Assistant Winemaker. She joined Artesa Vineyards & Winery in 2013 and was promoted to Director of Winemaking in 2015, the first woman to hold the top winemaking position at Artesa. Ana departed Artesa in 2023 to focus on the growth of her eponymous brands, “Ana Diogo-Draper” and “Ana,” respectively producing wines in California and Portugal, while also working as a consulting winemaker.
Known for her collaborative approach, Diogo-Draper thrives in the fast-paced winery environment and excels at a wide diversity of roles, from winemaking creative applications, such as sensory analysis and blending, to daily quality control assurance with production teams. Diogo-Draper credits her professional success to a passion for agriculture and winemaking, nurtured from a young age in Portugal when she helped harvest grapes and make wine with family and neighbors, immersed in the European tradition of wine appreciation. She holds a B.S. in Agriculture Engineering from the University of Évora, situated in the Alentejo region of Portugal. Fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish and French, Ana Diogo-Draper brings an international perspective to California winemaking.
Julie Lumgair: From boots, then suits, then back to boots again sums up Julie Lumgair, who is a noted consulting and hands-on luxury tier winemaker. Her winemaking spans nineteen vintages and 25 varietals from Napa, Sonoma, Italy and beyond for both estate winemaker roles and consulting winery clients, ranging from small artisan wineries to 100,000 cases, including Art Nouveau Wines launching in 2024, J. Moss, Ideology Cellars, Valley of the Moon/Lake Sonoma, Windsor Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery and additional consulting clients. She is a 5th generation Tennessee family farmer that honed her deep sensory science, new product development, team building and executive leadership in her first career at Procter & Gamble and other Fortune 100 firms for 15 years. That experience, along with her “roll up the sleeves” work ethic, plus technical and analytical skills learned on the job from many noted mentors in the vineyards and cellars have been supplemented by years of rigorous independent wine technical study.
Julie’s winemaking and vineyard trials and wines have been featured in industry press and conferences. Over 80 of her wines have consistently achieved 90+ scores and been noted by critics as a Wine Spectator “Producer to Watch,” Wine & Spirits varietal “Top Ten” and “Year’s Best” lists. She loves her work as a winemaker, business advisor and educational speaker for consumers and wine trade groups, each topped up with a heavy dose of science and Southern hospitality. She serves on several industry boards and the planning committee for the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, focusing her community service on mentoring, equity and inclusion. She is Women For WineSense Napa/Sonoma’s President and has served as Winemaking & Viticulture Roundtable Chair since 2013.
ABOUT THE WINERY AND HOSTS:
Chateau St. Jean: Since 1973, Chateau St. Jean has welcomed people from around the corner and around the globe to their historic winery & vineyards. Tucked in the northern end of the stunning Sonoma Valley, Chateau St. Jean offers wine lovers an idyllic oasis to get away from daily life and soak in the Sonoma wine lifestyle. The winery was founded 51 years ago when Ken Sheffield, and Bob and Ed Merzoian – San Joaquin Valley table grape growers and shippers – began a search for the perfect setting to build a premium California winery. The Valley of the Moon was their first choice and their attention focused on 250 acres of the historic Goff estate. Their newly founded Chateau St. Jean was named after Jean Sheffield Merzoian – sister, sister-in-law, and wife to the owners. Half a century later, this Sonoma icon continues as a treasured family estate as part of the Foley Family of Wines. They are proud to have set the standard in Sonoma County wines of excellence since 1973, and will continue to showcase the region’s best AVA’s with their dedicated and talented team.
Mari Wells Coyle is the VP Winemaking for both Chateau St Jean Estate and Sebastiani Vineyards, and is the event host. She joined Foley Family Wines’ portfolio team as head winemaker for Chateau St. Jean Winery. She has developed a true passion for crafting Cabernet and Bordeaux wines and describes her main role as a winemaker “to bring the best fruit to the bottle. Every decision I make is a part of bringing the vineyards to the table in a meaningful way.”
Raised in Bellingham, Washington, Mari’s passion for the outdoors started at a young age. Now a seasoned veteran with over 20 years of industry experience, Mari first earned her degree in Viticulture and Enology from the University of California, Davis, and accepted her first winemaking position at the age of 24. Since then, she has led several start-up wineries and helped iconic wineries meet modern industry standards which all have led her to Sonoma County and the iconic CSJ winery. Some notable wineries she worked at include David Girard Vineyards, Sterling Vineyards, and most recently One Hope Wine as the Executive Winemaker.
Alicia Sylvester is the event co-host and Foley Family Wines’ Winemaker for Banshee Wines. Alicia attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where she began to explore the wine business through her studies and her summers were full of viticulture and enology internships. After graduating, Alicia went on to work back-to-back harvests around the globe including notable regions of Australia, Italy, Argentina, and South Africa.
This year she celebrated her ninth anniversary with Foley Family Wines and has worked in continually progressing winemaking roles during that time at the Lancaster Estates and Merus brands prior to Banshee. She has been an active member of Women For WineSense and on the planning committee for the Winemaking & Viticultural Roundtable since 2016.
