San Francicsco — Chris Indelicato, President and CEO of Delicato Family Vineyards, has been elected Wine Institute Board Chairman for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The election was held at Wine Institute’s 84th Annual Meeting of Members in Santa Barbara. Other board officers elected are Hank Wetzel of Alexander Valley Vineyards in Healdsburg, first vice chairman; John Sutton of The Wine Group in Livermore, second vice chairman; Suzanne Groth of Groth Vineyards & Winery in Oakville, treasurer; and Rick Tigner of Jackson Family Wines in Santa Rosa, secretary. Bobby Koch is President and CEO of Wine Institute.
“I am honored to serve as Board Chairman and continue Wine Institute’s work advocating on behalf of the California wine industry. As a third-generation vintner, Wine Institute’s commitment to sustainable winegrowing aligns with our dedication to quality, innovation and environmental stewardship. Wine Institute supports key public policy initiatives, such as extending the Craft Beverage Modernization & Tax Reform Act beyond 2019 so wineries can continue to invest in the future, expanding export opportunities through the removal of trade barriers, and stopping excise tax increases in state legislatures around the country,” said Indelicato.
Indelicato was born and raised in Manteca, California where his grandfather, Gaspare Indelicato, planted the family’s first vineyards in 1924, and founded the Sam Jasper winery — which would eventually become Delicato Family Vineyards. He grew up in the wine business working alongside his father and uncles harvesting, crushing, bottling and even pouring behind the counter of the family’s tasting room, which is located at the company headquarters in Manteca. After graduating from the University of Southern California, he started his career as a licensed Certified Public Accountant. He joined Delicato Family Vineyards in 1994 working with his brother, Jay, on the viticulture and winery operations side, eventually serving as National Accounts Manager and, later, as Chief Financial Officer. He has held the position of President and CEO since 2004. Jay, who was the 2007-2008 Wine Institute Board Chairman, serves as Chief Operating Officer. Under their leadership, Delicato Family Vineyards is now a fourth-generation family-owned company and has grown to rank among the top 10 wineries in the U.S. with high-performing brands such as Bota Box, Gnarly Head, Noble Vines, Z. Alexander Brown and Black Stallion Estate Winery on the Silverado Trail. Recently, Delicato formed a strategic partnership with V2 Wine Group and was named the exclusive U.S. importer of Chilean wine Viña Santa Rita.
Wine Institute is the public policy advocacy association of nearly 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses, which works at the state, national and international levels to support California wineries, whose retail sales in the U.S. reached $35.2 billion in value last year. Based in San Francisco, with offices in Sacramento, Washington, D.C., six regions across the U.S. and 15 foreign countries, Wine Institute is guided by 80 vintners who are members and alternates on an active board of directors. The board elects the chairman and officers on an annual basis.
Wine Institute’s membership also elected new district and at-large directors and alternates. District directors and their alternates were elected on a one-member-one-vote basis in each district, following nominations by regional winery associations. They are:
| DISTRICT | DIRECTOR | ALTERNATE |
|---|---|---|
| Northern: | Kaj Ahlmann Six Sigma Winery |
Tracey Hawkins Hawk and Horse Vineyards |
| Sonoma: | Katie Wetzel Murphy Alexander Valley Vineyards Harry Wetzel Alexander Valley Vineyards Julie Pedroncelli St. John J. Pedroncelli Winery Steven MacRostie MacRostie Winery & Vineyards |
Louis M. Foppiano Foppiano Vineyards Carmen Castaldi Rodney Strong Wine Estates James DeBonis Trentadue Winery Debra Mathy Dutcher Crossing Winery |
| Napa: | Hugh Davies Schramsberg Vineyards Dennis Cakebread Cakebread Cellars Delia Viader Viader Vineyards Robin Baggett Alpha Omega Winery Suzanne Groth Groth Vineyards & Winery |
Mike Reynolds Hall Wines Michael Maher Harlan Estate Michael Honig Honig Vineyard & Winery Paul Leary Blackbird Vineyards Marketta Fourmeaux Marketta Winery |
| San Francisco Bay: | Earl Ault Cedar Mountain Winery |
William Cooper Cooper-Garrod Vineyards |
| Monterey Bay: | Scott Scheid Scheid Vineyards |
Lawrence Lohr J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines |
| Central Coast: | Frank Ostini Hitching Post Wines Gary Eberle Eberle Winery Nicholas Miller The Thornhill Companies Tara Gomez Kita Wines |
Laura Booras Riverbench Winery Gretchen Roddick Hope Family Wines Karen Steinwachs Buttonwood Farm Winery Stephen Miller The Thornhill Companies |
| Southern: | Alexander McGeary Shadow Mountain Vineyards & Winery |
Linda McWilliams San Pasqual Winery |
| Sierra: | Elisheva Gur-Arieh C.G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery |
Steven Millier Milliaire Winery |
| Northern Interior: | David Phillips Michael-David Winery |
Randall Lange LangeTwins Vineyards & Winery |
| Southern Interior: | Steven Schafer San Joaquin Wine Company |
William Nakata ASV Wines |
All members elected 20 at-large directors who had been nominated by the Institute’s Finance and Administration Committee. Alternates were chosen by at-large directors.
| AT LARGE DIRECTOR | ALTERNATE |
|---|---|
| Corey Beck Francis Ford Coppola Winery |
Ken Minami Francis Ford Coppola Winery |
| Giancarlo Bianchetti Fetzer Vineyards |
Nicole Iverson Fetzer Vineyards |
| Virginia Clark Constellation Brands |
Nichole Malec Constellation Brands |
| James Coleman E. & J. Gallo Winery |
To be announced |
| Cindy DeVries Fetzer Vineyards |
Rodrigo Maturana Fetzer Vineyards |
| Michael Drobnick O’Neill Vintners & Distillers |
Matthew Towers O’Neill Vintners & Distillers |
| John Franzia, Jr. Bronco Wine Company |
Daniel Leonard Bronco Wine Company |
| Joseph Franzia Bronco Wine Company |
Chris Mifsud Bronco Wine Company |
| Matthew Gallo Gallo Family Vineyards |
Stephanie Gallo E. & J. Gallo Winery |
| Tobin Ginter Rodney Strong Vineyards |
Timothy Burgess Rodney Strong Vineyards |
| Chris Indelicato Delicato Family Vineyards |
Jolene Yee Delicato Family Vineyards |
| James O’Malley Brown-Forman Corporation |
David Perata Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards |
| John Sutton The Wine Group |
Keith Bauman The Wine Group |
| Rick Tigner Jackson Family Wines |
Katie Jackson Jackson Family Wines |
| Robert Torkelson Trinchero Family Estates |
Anthony Torres Trinchero Family Estates |
| Roger Trinchero Family Estates |
Peter Larson Trinchero Family Estates |
| Brian Vos The Wine Group |
Jeff Dubiel The Wine Group |
| Michael Walker Constellation Brands |
Tiffanie De Liberty Constellation Brands |
| Christine Wente Family Estates |
Amy Hoopes Wente Family Estates |
| Jeff Wesselkamper Jackson Family Wines |
Carolyn Wasem Jackson Family Wines |
# # #Journalists requiring further information should contact the Wine Institute Communications Dept.
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