Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/131907
JUNE NEWS The Malbecs both worked at Chateau Latour before becoming full-time winemaking and marketing consultants. Details: sodarowines.com. Winemaker joins Ledson winery Matt Standing joined the winemaking team at Ledson Winery & Vineyards in Sonoma. Standing, originally from England, earned an honors degree in viticulture and enology from Plumpton College in Sussex, England. Before joining Ledson, Standing Matt Standing worked harvests making sparkling wine at Wiston Estate Winery in West Sussex, England. Details: ledson.com. embark on a series of winery startups. In 1994, together with three partners, he formed Silverado Partners, which led the buyout of Beringer Vineyards from Nestle George A. with Texas Pacific Vare Jr. Group. He served as director of Beringer Wine Estates Holdings Inc. through its acquisition by Foster's Brewing Group in 2000. In 1996, he co-founded and built Luna Vineyards and later became a grower and proponent of the aromatic white grape Ribolla Gialla. Growers in western Sonoma County have formed the Fort Ross-Seaview Wine growers Association to complement the AVA of the same name that was approved in 2011. The AVA comprises 555 acres of vines, most at higher elevations above the region's thick coastal fog. Daniel Schoenfeld, winemaker and owner of Wild Hog Vineyard in Cazadero, is the group's new chairman. Fetzer hires grower-relations manager Ben Byczynski is the new grower-relations manager for Fetzer Vineyards in Hopland. Sapporo Before joining Fetzer, Byczynski was the chief administrative officer and viticulturist at Trione Vineyards & Winery. Details: fetzer.com. Winemaker rejoins Franciscan Marla Carroll returned to the winemaking Tokyo team at Franciscan Estate winery in St. HelNagoya ena. Carroll started at Franciscan in 2004 Osaka roshima and worked as an enologist and assistant winemaker before taking time off to be with her family. Details: franciscan.com. pan Luna founder dies George A. Vare Jr., 76, died April 12 in Napa. Vare entered the California wine business in 1972, when he purchased Geyser Peak Winery as part of the mergers and acquisitions team for Schlitz Brewing Co. He served as president of Geyser Peak Winery before leaving in 1979 to 24 W in es & V i ne s J U NE 2 0 13 Sage Hill makes wine from its estate vineyard. Borboa winemaker at Oak Ridge Michael Borboa is the new head winemaker at Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi. Borboa is the former export winemaker for Bear Creek Winery, which is also located in Lodi. Details: oakridgewinery.com. Napa winery opens in new location Fort Ross-Seaview group forms traminer and a Syrah rosé, all made with fruit from the organic estate vineyard. The winery, owned by Rick Thrussell, is located on a former fruit orchard overlooking Lake Okanagan. Details: sagehillswine.com. Y Rousseau Wines in Napa Valley opened its new 2,000-square-foot winery and byappointment tasting room in Napa and released its first Tannat wine made with grapes from the Russian River AVA. Winemaker and owner Yannick Rousseau is a native of the Gascony region of southwest France and has been making wine in Napa since 1999. Details: yrousseauwines.com. JC hires assistant winemaker Rory Sheehe joined JC Cellars in Oakland as assistant winemaker. Sheehe is the former assistant winemaker at Calcareous Vineyard winery in Paso Robles. Details: jccellars.com. Griffin winery marks 30 years Barnard Griffin Winery in Richland, Wash., celebrated its 30th anniversary. Owners Rob Griffin and Deborah Barnard also announced that they have completed an expansion and renovation of the winery. "This is the next step for us as a business: to grow and to incorporate the second generation," Griffin Rob Griffin said in a statement. Details: barnardgriffin.com. C EN TRAL N O RTH WEST Penner-Ash hires sales and marketing manager Penner-Ash Wine Cellars in Newberg, Ore., announced Jane Box is the winery's new direct sales and marketing manager. Box previously worked at Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy USA as well as running an online cooking website and personal chef consultancy in New York. Details: pennerash.com. Sage Hills makes inaugural release Sage Hills Vineyard in Summerland, B.C., released its inaugural Pinot Gris, Gewurz- Messina Hof honored at three contests Messina Hof Winery & Resort of Bryan, Texas, recently won medals and honors at three international wine competitions in its home state. The winery received three gold medals at the Dallas Morning News International Wine Competition, was named a "Top All-Around Winery" at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's wine competition and earned medals and "Best of Herd Texas Winery" honors at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Wine Competition. Details: messinahof.com.