Michael Mondavi
Raised at the Charles Krug winery in St. Helena, Michael Mondavi’s career began in 1966 when he and his father Robert, co-founded the Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, Napa Valley. He served in many positions at the winery, including winemaker for the first eight harvests, including the celebrated 1974. From 1969 to 1978, Michael served as vice president of sales. He was named managing director and CEO in 1990 and, following the company’s public offering in 1994, was appointed president and CEO. He later served as chairman from 2001 to 2004.
In 1999, Michael, along with his wife Isabel and their two children, Rob Jr. and Dina, purchased the Animo vineyard on Atlas Peak. This marked the first chapter of the Michael Mondavi Family Estate, creating a sustainable legacy to be passed down to the next generation.
In 2004, they launched Folio Fine Wine Partners, a full-service wine importer and marketing agency that was born of Michael’s strong belief and vision that the best wines in the world would be produced by wineries that are family-owned and family-managed. Today, Folio is focused on representing the finest portfolio from esteemed family-owned producers from Italy, Spain, Argentina, France, Austria and Mondavi’s own family portfolio from California.
Recognized as one of the global emissaries of California wine, Michael has been actively involved for decades in industry affairs and numerous civic activities. Earlier this year, Michael received the Ray Herrmann HERO Award from Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Association (WSWA) for his Visionary Leadership and Philanthropy in Wine and Spirits.
Joel Peterson
Joel Peterson, AKA the Godfather of Zin, has been a winemaker for 50 years. Joel founded and built Ravenswood into a powerhouse Zinfandel brand. Joel’s latest project is Once & Future Wine where he focuses on making small production, hand crafted single vineyard Zinfandels, resurrecting his old redwood fermenters that honor the distinctive typicity of site.
Joel was a senior vice president and member of the senior executive team at Constellation Brands for 15 years. A current member and former president of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance (SVVGA), Joel has also served on the Board of Directors for the Sonoma County Vintners. A founding board member and former two-time president of ZAP, he is also an advisor to the Historic Vineyard Society.
Joel was the lead winemaker and chairman of the Heritage Vineyard project, a joint project of ZAP and UC Davis to investigate Zinfandel clones. Joel is the long-time moderator for “Flights,” ZAP’s educational lecture series on Zinfandel. In 2011, Joel was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame. Joel is currently acting as the “Spirit Guide” for the new Gallo launch of Ravenswood.
Linda Reiff
Linda Reiff is the president and CEO of the Napa Valley Vintners, the organization that has worked to create worldwide acclaim for America’s iconic wine region. Under Reiff’s leadership, Napa Valley Vintners’ (NVV) marketing, promotions, communications, and education efforts have expanded around the world, and the organization has become an influential leader on global wine industry issues. Reiff has worked tirelessly to promote, protect and enhance the Napa Valley wine region, and has brought great value to all of its vintners and grapegrowers.
When she started at the NVV in 1995 the organization had 100 winery members and conducted just a handful of marketing programs a year. Today the organization represents 550 wineries and creates nearly 300 programs and efforts annually to: market and promote Napa Valley wines globally; advocate for the industry; protect the integrity of the Napa name, and provide education, training and resources for all winery employees.
The NVV is widely recognized as a leader in environment and community stewardship. Reiff worked to establish the Napa Green third-party certification program and guided significant investments in numerous community organizations. Through its community fundraiser, Auction Napa Valley, the NVV has donated over $245 million to health care and children’s education programs. In 2021 she launched the NVV’s Leadership Development Program to help create the next generation of leaders for the region.
She has served on numerous industry and community boards, including as a founding board member of the Wine Writers Symposium, Visit Napa Valley and the Napa Valley Vine Trail; and served as president of the Land Trust board.