Jessica Koga - Program Lead
Jessica Koga is a winemaker specializing in small lot winemaking from the North Coast of California. She is experienced with crafting sparkling wine as well as luxury Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon with a focus on site-specific wines. After graduating from UC Davis, she interned at Schramsberg Vineyards and ended up staying for nearly three years before traveling to gain experience in New Zealand and New York. Upon returning to California, she worked for Gundlach Bundschu in Sonoma and at Vineyard 29 in St. Helena before returning to Schramsberg to run their sister winery, Davies Vineyards.
Follow her on Instagram at @winechik.
Elizabeth Vianna
Elizabeth Vianna is active in the Napa Valley serving on the boards of both NVV and Stags Leap District Wine Growers. She looks forward to continuing my mentorship and contributing to the community of women in the wine industry.
Maya Dalla Valle
A first-generation American of Japanese and Italian descent, Maya Dalla Valle earned her first degree in viticulture and enology from Cornell, and a second in vineyard and winery management from Bordeaux’s Science Agro University. She’s worked at places like Ornellaia e Masseto in Italy, Bodega Rolland in Argentina and chateaus Pétrus, Latour and Canon-La-Gaffelière in Bordeaux. In 2017, Dalla Valle returned home to direct winegrowing and winemaking at her family winery. In 2019 she lead the conversion of the vineyard to Biodynamic farming and introduced new winemaking practices such as working with in house cultivated native yeasts and amphorae.
Kira Ballotta
Kira Ballotta is the owner and winemaker for Olivia Brion and Cantadora wines. Her winery specializes in organically farmed fine wine that features the stories of trailblazing women from history (Olivia Brion) and today (Cantadora). Her career in wine began in 2010 when she got the opportunity to value several wineries in her career in Investment Banking. After a brief stint in Business Analytics at Constellation, she moved into wine production full time in 2013. She worked in the lab, cellar and vineyard across multiple properties in Napa and Australia before landing her full-time job with Alpha Omega in 2015. She worked her way up from Production Assistant to Enology Research Manager, coordinating all winemaking trails, many of which were under the umbrella of tannin analysis. In 2016 she began making her own commercial wine under the Olivia Brion label. In 2019 the founder of Olivia Brion retired and she assumed all winemaking and financial interests. In 2021 she launched Cantadora wines to incorporate women today, who inspire her, into her wine project. In January she was honored by Imbibe Magazine as an Imbibe 75 for the people who will shape Food & Drinks in 2024. Wine Business Monthly awarded Cantadora their “Hot Brand” honor for 2024. Kira resides in Napa with her husband and two little boys.
Kimberlee Nicolls
Over a career spanning almost 30 years, Kimberlee Nicholls has earned a reputation as one of Napa Valley's most respected winemakers. With a gifted palate, and three decades of Napa Valley winemaking knowledge and experience, Kim crafts wines of character and complexity from Markham's 350 acres of certified sustainable estate vineyards in Yountville, Oak Knoll and Calistoga.
Lisanne Leask
Lisanne Leask is the Director of Winemaking at Long Meadow Ranch, overseeing winemaking across the Napa Valley and Anderson Valley estates as well as making extra virgin olive oil and hard apple cider. After almost twenty years in the industry, she has experience in a variety of positions including Harvest Intern, Enologist, and Associate Winemaker. Lisanne honed her winemaking skills in the Napa Valley at Stags’ Leap Winery, Schramsberg, Miner Family Winery, and Rutherford Hill Winery. She also gained international experience at Grove Mill in New Zealand and Antinori’s Tenuta Tignanello in Italy. Lisanne received her degree in Viticulture & Enology from the University of California, Davis. She believes mentorship is a powerful component of success both in terms of developing a winemaking style and learning to lead teams.
Elizabeth Bourcier
A Seattle native with French roots, Elizabeth began her winemaking career at the age of 18, studying at Walla Walla Community College's Institute for Enology and Viticulture. Following graduation, Elizabeth finished her degree in Viticulture at California Polytechnic State University before working harvests in the United States and Argentina. Shortly after returning to Walla Walla, Elizabeth began working at Cayuse as a lab tech in 2008, before moving upwards into the role as Assistant Vigneronne. She was responsible for creating the wines of No Girls, a sister brand to Cayuse Vineyards, which champions women in wine. In 2021 Elizabeth ascended further and is now the Resident Vigneronne for Bionic Wines. Aside from overseeing the Bionic wines portfolio, Elizabeth founded La Rata Wines, a small production Spanish-inspired wine brand.
Claudia Gerecke
Claudia is an Associate Winemaker for E&J Gallo Winery in Canandaigua, NY. With 9 harvests under her belt, she has worked in the Finger Lakes, NY, Marlborough, NZ, and the Central Valley, CA. Her very first harvest was working in Livingston, CA working on Apothic and Carnivor wines. From there she spent 5 years working as a Research Winemaker in Modesto, CA. She gained experience working with fruit from all over California in a grape-to-glass winery doing everything from dry to sweet, still to sparkling and fortified, and more. She then moved back to production winemaking and has been working on Kosher and flavored wines in New York with a brief intermission for a Southern Hemisphere harvest in New Zealand. Claudia graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Biological Sciences prior to joining the wine industry and is from New York City.
Rachael Froehlich
Rachael Froehlich is a journeyer who is currently trying to make waves in the wine industry. She is working as an Assistant Winemaker managing a custom crush winery. She has lived in 5 different countries, and brings her experience from overseas to Napa. She is a lifelong learner, constantly studying new skills, from teaching yoga to studying finance for her MBA. She wants to be a resource for those interested in joining the wine industry, especially for those interested in going abroad.
Virginia Usher
Director of Winemaking at Mendocino Wine Company, Virginia Usher is the backbone that supports the winery in making sustainable, organic wines that are true to the roots of the county’s legacy. She oversees all aspects of production and winemaking for the company’s portfolio of seven in-house brands and custom crush operations.
A self-proclaimed boots-on-the-ground orchestrator between the winery’s owners, the cellar team, and the winemaking team, Virginia brings an exceptional blend of talents to her role.
With a distinguished career marked by her hands-on approach and unwavering commitment to both the craft and its people, Virginia stands out as a true leader in the field. She puts people first, creating opportunities for their growth, which ultimately contributes to the winery’s growth.
Natalie Bath
A native of St. Helena, California, Natalie Bath came back to the Napa Valley after graduating college with the intention of applying to law school. However, she fell back in love with the beauty of the Napa Valley and gained a new appreciation for wine while working at Angèle restaurant in Napa. Natalie started her career in winemaking working harvests at Etude, Villa Maria in New Zealand, and Littorai in Sebastopol, before joining Rudd Estate in 2012. Natalie joined the Winemaking team as a cellar hand, and was then promoted to oenologist in 2016 (the same year she travelled to Bordeaux to work harvest at Château Pétrus), Assistant Winemaker in 2017 at Rudd Estate, and Lead Winemaker for Crossroads in 2018. After nearly a decade influencing the wines both in the cellar and in the vineyards, Natalie became Winemaker of Rudd Estate in 2021.