It’s California Wine
Month again, and we have a fabulous line up of guests for tonight’s show. A few points you may not know:
California is the #1 wine producing state in the U.S. and the
4th largest winemaker in the world, exporting 90% of U.S. wine. It’s the
leading wine and food travel destination in the U.S., attracting 24 million
people each year, and the producer of more than 400 specialty crops.
California is a leader in
sustainable winegrowing with one of the most comprehensive and widely adopted
programs in the world. Wineries making 75% of California wine and grapegrowers
farming 25% of statewide acreage are CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE to the California
Sustainable Winegrowing Program.
Visit www.DiscoverCaliforniaWines.
Nancy
Light
Vice
President, Communications
Nancy Light is Vice
President of Communications for Wine Institute, the public policy association
of 1,000 California wineries
and affiliated businesses dedicated to enhancing the environment for the
responsible production, consumption and enjoyment of wine. Light has more than
three decades of experience in marketing communications and public affairs and
has held positions at Kobrand Corporation in New York, where she started her
wine career, and at Robert Mondavi where she served as Vice President of Public
Relations. At Wine Institute, she directs media relations, member
communications and issues management and is an alternate on the Board of the
California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA). She co-conceived and edited the book, Down
to Earth: A Seasonal Tour of California Sustainable Winegrowing and is at
work on a second book about wine and sustainable agriculture in California.
Light manages several Wine Institute programs that support the long-term growth and vitality of the California wine industry. “Discover California Wines U.S.” is the domestic side of a global branding initiative to communicate the positive and distinctive attributes of California wine to consumers, trade, media and public officials. She is active in Wine Institute's partnership with Visit California, which she helped establish, promoting the state’s wine and wine regions worldwide as a unique aspect of the California visitor experience. Light is also on the Board of California Grown, an organization of specialty crop producers who support a “Buy California” marketing initiative.
Light manages several Wine Institute programs that support the long-term growth and vitality of the California wine industry. “Discover California Wines U.S.” is the domestic side of a global branding initiative to communicate the positive and distinctive attributes of California wine to consumers, trade, media and public officials. She is active in Wine Institute's partnership with Visit California, which she helped establish, promoting the state’s wine and wine regions worldwide as a unique aspect of the California visitor experience. Light is also on the Board of California Grown, an organization of specialty crop producers who support a “Buy California” marketing initiative.
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Hailey
Trefethen
Third
Generation
Hailey Trefethen is a
passionate steward of the Trefethen legacy who, along with her brother,
Lorenzo, is helping define the future of this Napa Valley icon.
After the South Napa
Earthquake in August 2014, Hailey managed the comprehensive restoration of the
family’s historic winery building. Originally built in 1886 as a three-story
gravity flow winery, the landmark building was severely damaged in the quake.
She personally spearheaded the 2.5 year restoration, including a full seismic
retrofit, culminating in the re-opening of the historic winery in May 2017. Now
alive again, with wine from recent vintages aging in barrels and guests
sampling the current releases, the winery’s rebirth is a testament to Hailey’s
dedication to Trefethen.
Hailey is also an
active member of the production team, participating in vineyard and winemaking
decisions. She manages the company’s participation in the Napa Green and
Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance programs, including
handling the related audits and pushing the company to continuously improve.
Hailey also serves as an ambassador for the brand, sharing the estate wines
with consumers and members of the trade, both on the estate and out in the
market.
Hailey was one of the
youngest members ever elected to serve on the Napa Valley Vintners’ Board of
Directors, where she also chaired the Community and Industry Issues Committee.
She has also served on the board of the California Wine Institute.
Born in Napa, Hailey
Trefethen grew up in the family’s vineyards before attending college in Santa
Clara, CA and further studies in Argentina and Costa Rica. She returned to the
family business in 2008.
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Brigid
Harris
Senior
Director, Direct to Consumer
Constellation
Brands, The Prisoner Wine
Company
Brigid’s professional background includes over
25 years of marketing experience, including brand management and direct to
consumer retail marketing. She spent the first 10 years of her career in brand
management at Disney Consumer Products in Los Angeles. After relocating
to the Bay Area in 2001, she commenced her DTC marketing career by managing the
wedding registry and private label credit card programs for Restoration
Hardware. Brigid then moved to the
ecommerce space and where she led online marketing efforts for three years at
Gap.com. As Director of Marketing for Smith & Hawken, she managed the
marketing for all retail channels including stores, catalog, ecommerce and
consumer loyalty programs.
Upon getting married, Brigid and her husband
moved Sonoma, where they bought a house and vineyard in Healdsburg. It was here
that Brigid fell in love with wine, and subsequently joined Jackson Family
Wines as Vice President of Direct to Consumer, where she successfully leveraged
her previous multi-channel retail experience to formally establish a strategic
DTC business for the company. From there, Brigid led the direct to
consumer businesses at Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines and at Trinchero
Family Estates. In 2017, she joined
Constellation Brands as Senior Director of DTC, where she leads all aspects of
the company’s multi-channel direct to consumer business. For soon-to-be-opened
Prisoner Wine Company, Brigid oversees
management of the Tasting Lounge and The Makery in Napa Valley, the wine
club, e-commerce and DTC marketing activities. Brigid and her husband reside in
the Chalk Hill area of Healdsburg with their Boston Terrier, Ellie.
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Hank Wetzel
Founder
Hank and Linda Wetzel
founded the bonded winery at Alexander Valley Vineyards in 1975, almost
thirteen years after Hank’s parents purchased “their place in the country”.
Hank supervised the construction and then produced Alexander Valley Vineyard’s
first wine in 1975. His wife Linda set up the books and managed the winery
office. AVV quickly established a reputation for estate grown wines with
distinctive varietal character. Acclaimed for luscious Chardonnay and elegant
Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley Vineyards brought recognition to the area
and is known as a leading winery in Sonoma County. 2015 marks the family’s 53rd
year on the historic property and will be the winery’s 41st vintage.
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