Third generation member of Russian River Valley farming family promoted, moves from production team to hospitality team
Santa Rosa, California (September 7, 2016) – Balletto Vineyards, one of the few family-owned estate wineries in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley AVA, has promoted Jacqueline Balletto to winery tasting room manager. Balletto represents the third generation of this Sonoma County farming family.
Balletto Vineyards’ tasting room (located at 5700 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, California, 95401) pours single vineyard Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and other estate wines from Russian River Valley. The tasting room is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. No appointments are necessary for groups of 10 people or fewer.
“We want each visitor at Balletto Vineyards to feel like family, and the best way to create that atmosphere is with a family member always interacting with those in the tasting room,” said John Balletto, owner and founder of Balletto Vineyards, and Jacqueline’s father. “With Jacqueline now representing our family in the tasting room, she’ll introduce new people to our estate wines and carry out the family’s vision of building life-long relationships with our customers.”
Previously, Jacqueline Balletto was a viticulturist assistant for the winery, where she aided with field scouting, lab work, crop estimates and water analysis. She also helped maintain relationships with wineries purchasing fruit from Balletto Vineyards’ 660-plus acres of Russian River Valley vineyards. Prior to that, she was a sales associate assisting the winery’s California sales manager and a harvest intern during the 2014 vintage.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with Jacqueline to craft wines from our Russian River Valley estate vineyards,” said Anthony Beckman, winemaker for Balletto Vineyards. “I’m confident she will lead the winery to new heights as she moves to the hospitality side of the family business.”
Before joining her family’s business, Balletto was a sales representative for Classic Wines of California. She also has experience as a credit analyst at Rabobank, a livestock clerk for the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and Exposition, and a North Bay and Bay Area sales representative for Petaluma Creamery.
Taking after the example set by her family, Balletto is very involved in the community. She serves as a board member of the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, treasurer for the Young Farmers & Ranchers and an advisory board member for PDI Surgery Center. Balletto earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business from California State University, Fresno.
About Balletto Vineyards
Balletto Vineyards is an estate winery in the famed Russian River Valley appellation of Sonoma County, California. Owned and operated by the Balletto family, Balletto Vineyards delivers honest and approachable estate wines meant to be enjoyed with family and friends. Owner John Balletto and his wife, Terri, started in the vegetable farming business, growing into the largest vegetable farm in Northern California. Seeing a bright future for wine grape growing in Russian River Valley, John and Terri transitioned to grape growing in 1995. In 2001, they created the first vintage of Balletto Vineyards estate wine from Russian River Valley. For more information, visit BallettoVineyards.com.
