Ziata Wines: Karen Cakebread & Winemaker Ann Vawter
Listen to this incredibly interesting interview with Karen Cakebread and winemaker Ann Vawter as they share their stories and wine adventures.
Karen Cakebread
Twenty-two years of representing the Napa Valley and its wines around the world gave Ziata Wines owner/founder Karen Cakebread the desire and know-how to develop her own wine brand, which she named in honor of her mother, Annunziata, and officially launched in March 2008.
Karen is a well-known representative of and cheerleader for the Napa Valley. Her wine experience started with Cakebread Cellars, for which she worked for 18 years. While living in Hong Kong, she assisted with the winery’s marketing efforts in Hong Kong and in Singapore. After moving to the Napa Valley in 1989, she oversaw the winery’s educational, corporate hospitality and international marketing efforts. She also managed the winery’s American Harvest Workshop, an annual event that brings together noted chefs, artisan food purveyors and media to help build awareness and improve the availability and marketability of American wine and food products.
Anne Vawter’s fascination with wine began in her teens in Walla Walla, Washington. As her father was discovering new wines in that region, he imparted his interest to Anne. Having grown up on a dairy farm, Anne had a desire to remain in agriculture, and she set her sights on becoming a winemaker. Anne graduated with a B.S. in viticulture and Enology from the University California, Davis, after which she worked for wineries in Washington, Napa, and Chile. Most recently, Anne has been fortunate to spend four years with Paradigm Winery in Napa Valley under the tutelage of Heidi Barrett. Anne is now excited to be working with a small number of excellent wineries as their winemaker, helping to produce wines that best express the goals of these fine properties, as well as launching her own fine wine: RedMareWines.com
Don & Judy Phelps, Owners & Winemakers at Hard Row To Hoe Vineyards
What a delightful story with an equally fantastic ending. Let me introduce you to a remarkable couple; Don & Judy Phelps. Don a life long engineer and Judy a corporate employee in research and development for the monster pharmaceutical company Pfizer, both had a similar calling to get out of corporate America and venture into working for themselves in the wine industry.
Let’s rewind for a second, from our initial conversation I assumed Don and Judy had been life long partners, but after further inquiry, Don & Judy married ten short years ago after being bit by the serendipity bug. Judy’s brother was married to Don’s sister or something like that and Judy and Don met over the phone when Don’s son was looking for an internship with Judy’s company on the other side of the coast. One thing led to another, the stars aligned, sparks flew, and Don and Judy are not only life partners, they are also business partners. That was just the start of this magical story that brought two people together and as a result of this partnership some pretty fantastic wines have been added to the ever growing list of delicious wines created by small production vintners.
Listen to this interesting interview and hear first hand their story and wine adventures together. Purchase their wines directly at HardRow.com and enter their contest to wine a free 1 week stay at Lake Chelan in a luxury condo just a stone’s throw from their vineyard. Find out more on their Facebook page.
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