NAPA, CALIFORNIA | FEBURARY 14 , 2017: The Napa | Sonoma chapter of Women for WineSense’s (WWS) Winemakers’ & Viticultural Roundtable will host a discussion about maximizing career development with Eileen Crane, CEO / Founding Winemaker, on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Domaine Carneros, the Taittinger family’s elegant California estate located at 1240 Duhig Road, Napa.
Ms. Crane will lead a thought-provoking discussion for women winemakers and viticulturists about powerfully cultivating and promoting your professional value, at all points of your career. The conversation will explore what women should do (beyond hard work) to get what they want, promote their own worth, and make sure those in power understand their full value to the winery/vineyard. The facilitator will be 40+ year industry CEO / Board Member / Author, Michaela Rodeno.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER AND HOST, EILEEN CRANE:
With deep historical roots in Reims, France, the Taittinger family founded Domaine Carneros in the late 1970s, selecting Eileen Crane, now CEO and America’s most experienced sparkling winemaker, to oversee the development of their new Carneros winery and vineyards. In 1989 they completed their landmark grand château, inspired by Taittinger’s 18th century home estate, their classic Château de la Marquetterie in Champagne. Known for it’s quintessential expression of the Taittinger style in California, this Napa Valley icon specializes in sparkling wines with varied and distinctive styles and select estate still wines. All of their sparkling wines are produced using the exacting méthode traditionnelle. And like Taittinger, their cuvées focus on the elegant and long-lived Chardonnay.
Ms. Crane is equally at home in the world of food and wine having both a culinary and science background and is active in numerous wine organizations and local health non-profits.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR, MICHAELA RODENO:
After 21 years as its first CEO, Michaela Rodeno retired in mid-2009 from St. Supéry, which has since been sold to Chanel. She had previously been the VP/Marketing for Domaine Chandon, joining at its inception in 1973. She is considered one of the leading women in the California wine industry and a strong advocate for wine related issues.
Rodeno co-founded Women for WineSense and served on the boards of California’s Wine Institute and the Napa Valley Vintners. She is a founding director and past chair of the Wine Market Council, served as chairman of the Meritage Association from 1999-2005, and chaired the multi-million dollar Napa Valley Wine Auction twice. She speaks at conferences and guest lectures at Berkeley/Haas, UC Davis, and Stanford. Her memoir, Bubbles to Boardrooms, is a favorite of entrepreneurs and lifelong learners.
A director of Silicon Valley Bank Financial Group 2001-2011, Rodeno currently serves on the board of Bank of Marin. She holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and was named to the Haas Hall of Fame in 2009. She lives on the family vineyard in Oakville with her attorney husband Gregory, where they produce very small amounts of Sangiovese under their highly regarded Villa Ragazzi label.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
The roundtable meeting will open at 3:00 p.m. with Estate wines, fellowship and networking on the Terrace. At 3:30 there will be a welcome and announcements, followed by a 3:40 p.m. technical tasting with Ms. Crane. At 4:10 p.m., the group will then enjoy the speakers’ discussion, followed by a question and answer session. Attendees are encouraged to bring a bottle or two of wine for the Roundtable host and speakers.
Roundtable chair Julie Hagler Lumgair noted, “We are honored to have two notable women wine industry leaders strongly kick off our 2017 six Roundtable series. It will be a great gathering of peers in a friendly, relaxed environment.”
Lumgair continued “It will be a thoughtful discussion with experts who have walked the walk for the last four decades, coached generations of new leaders and deeply understand wine industry dynamics and our unique career tracks.”
ABOUT THE WINEMAKING & VITICULTURAL ROUNDTABLE AND RSVP DETAILS:
The Winemaking Roundtable meets six times a year, taking a harvest break. Only professionally qualified winemaker and viticulture guests may attend up to two Roundtables before deciding to join. This inaugural 2017 meeting is a great time to reconnect and meet new folks.
Please, all attendees must be pre-approved; no walk-ins. To RSVP, or for any questions on this event or future WWS Winemaking Roundtable events, please contact Ms. Lumgair at Julie@Lumgair.com.
Lumgair commented “The Winemaking Roundtable’s past meeting topics have focused upon the skills women winemakers need but aren’t always easy to get in the daily winemaking environment.” She further explained that, “Held at some of the region’s finest host wineries, these programs have been a fantastic opportunity for women winemakers to connect directly, in a welcoming forum, with experts that they otherwise wouldn’t get to meet for personal advice and questions. Some of our recent speaker shave included global sensory consultants, wine critics, sommeliers and key wine publication editors, media trainers, CFO’s and GM’s in panel discussions and leading recruiters.”
ABOUT WWS ROUNDTABLES:
WWS’ eight current professional roundtables serve to provide a welcoming and confidential environment to meet in small peer groups on a bi-monthly or quarterly basis. Members network, provide advice and support for one another, as well as foster educational occasions by inviting guest speakers in their fields and discussing ‘hot issues’ facing members in their day-to-day work. Multiple Roundtables have developed for WWS industry members in finance, accounting, human resources, winemaking/viticulture and marketing/direct-to-consumer fields.
The Napa/Sonoma Chapter currently has more than 350 members of which 70% are wine industry professionals. To join or learn more about WWS’ roundtables, please visit www.womenforwinesense.org. For inquiries about other WWS roundtables for additional functions besides winemaking and viticulture, contact the Napa| Sonoma Chapter’s Roundtables Director, Lisa Bishop Forbes, lbishopforbes@gmail.com.
ABOUT WWS:
The Napa| Sonoma Chapter of Women for WineSense is a not-for-profit organization 501(c)6 formed in 1990 which believes that wine enhances and enriches everyday life. WWS is the premier wine education and networking organization for wine aficionados and industry professionals. The organization is committed to offering outstanding educational programs and mentoring and networking opportunities to industry professionals and wine enthusiasts. Both men and women of legal drinking age are welcome to join Women for WineSense. The Napa| Sonoma Chapter has an exciting line-up of events. To learn more about joining this chapter, visit their website.
