Wine Industry Veteran Tapped for Overseeing Company’s Continued DtC Growth
Napa, Calif., February 13, 2018 — Charles Krug Winery, home of the oldest winery in Napa and oldest tasting room in California, is pleased to announce Jim Morris as its Vice President of Estate Management and Guest Relations. The appointment is effective immediately.
Morris’ tenure in the wine industry spans nearly two decades and includes a wide array of winery activations, Direct to Consumer management programs, and sales supervision. Most recently, he was tasked with overseeing the opening of Flanagan Winery’s Healdsburg tasting room and their existing winery’s full-scale renovation. Prior to that project, the Washington native was the lead in launching the tasting room experience of MacPhail Family Wines at The Barlow market complex in Sebastopol.
“To say I’m excited would be an understatement,” says Morris. “There’s such an intense amount of history to Charles Krug, and their fantastic facilities—from the Carriage House, to Cucina di Rosa, to their gorgeous lawn—make for one of the greatest Estates in all of California wine country.”
Beyond those previous ventures, Morris has played an important role in helping to build complete winery experiences from the ground up, as he was instrumental in commencing the Direct to Consumer programs at St. Anne’s Crossing Winery and Truett Hurst Winery respectively. Additionally,he has been key in helping improve the profitability and appeal of both Michel-Schlumberger and Martin Family Vineyards, which saw significant increases in revenue and traffic during his tenure at each winery.
“We’re truly thrilled to have Jim join us; the diversity and wealth of experience he has in this industry is unparalleled,” notes Judd Wallenbrock, CEO of C. Mondavi & Family, the parent company to Charles Krug. “His holistic set of skills and intimate knowledge of wine hospitality are going to help elevate Charles Krug into an even greater visitor experience and cultural hub for Napa Valley.”
News of the new hire comes during an historic year for Charles Krug, which is celebrating its 75th year of Cesare Mondavi family ownership in 2018. In addition to participating in a variety of countrywide consumer and trade events, the winery is planning a series of on-site programming that makes full usage of the estate’s many assets.
About Charles Krug Winery:
In 1943, Italian immigrants Cesare and Rosa Mondavi purchased the historic Charles Krug property, which remains a family-owned winery producing estate-driven Napa Valley wines, built on a foundation of family values, hard work and a European winemaking tradition. The winery is under the direction of Peter Mondavi Jr. and Marc Mondavi, who steward the family business passed to them by their father, legendary Napa Valley wine icon Peter Mondavi Sr. The family is now proudly welcoming members of the fourth generation to the business, continuing a legacy started nearly 75 years ago and setting a foundation for generations to come. For additional information, please visit https://www.charleskrug.com/
