JENNE BALDWIN-EATON has been a winemaker in the Colorado wine industry for the past 28 years. For 22 years, Baldwin-Eaton made award-winning wines from 100% Colorado grown grapes and was involved in all aspects of running a commercial winery. The success and growth of the Colorado wine industry is very important to Baldwin-Eaton and in 2017 she developed the first Associates of Applied Science Viticulture and Enology program at Western Colorado Community College, a division of Colorado Mesa University in Colorado. Baldwin-Eaton teaches a multitude of classes in the program, runs the wine lab, carries out practical research each harvest and leads the newly established Warren Winiarski/Gerald Ivancie Institute to Viticulture and Enology. Jenne will speak from 6:45 – 7:45 pm (EST) on “Keys to a Successful Small Winery Start-Up – Business Operations Track”.
CHIK BRENNEMAN is the Winemaker and partner for Baker Family Wines. In 1998, Chik graduated with a Master’s degree from UC Davis’s school of Viticulture and Enology and upon graduation, he went to work for Amador Foothill Winery, in Amador County, CA, Terre Rouge Easton Winery, and eventually became the production lab manager at Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi in Lodi California. In 2006, Chic was approached by the University of California at Davis to manage their winery. Chik retired from the University in March 2019 to devote full-time energy to Baker Family Wines. As well as being an enthusiastic home winemaker, in any given harvest he will make wine from over 50 different varietals. Chik also writes the “Varietal Focus” column in every issue of WineMaker magazine. Chik speak from 6:45 – 7:45 pm (EST) on “QC Tips for Small Wineries – Winery Operations Track”.
ALISON CROWE is the Vice President, Winemaking for Napa-based Plata Wine Partners, a 500+ case wine company servicing retailers, restaurant groups, and multiple wine brands. Alison holds a BS in Fermentation Science, a BA in Spanish, and an MBA from UC-Davis, is the author of The Winemaker’s Answer Book and has been writing the “Wine Wizard” column in WineMaker since its inception in 1997. She is Co-Chair of the Carneros Wine Alliance and serves on the Program Committee for the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, the largest wine industry trade show in the western hemisphere. Though she makes wine on a commercial scale, Alison loves nothing more than helping the hobby- and micro-vintners achieve success and satisfaction with projects at home. She lives in Napa, California, with her husband and two young sons. Join Alison from 5:30 – 6:30 pm (EST) when she will speak about “Working with a Custom Crush Partner – Winery Operations Track”.
PAT HENDERSON Pat Henderson is a veteran with more than thirty years of winemaking experience resulting in hundreds of gold medal winning and 90+ scored wines. Previously he has been chief winemaker for Kenwood vineyards, Valley of the Moon Winery and Hedges Cellars and he currently works as a winemaking consultant and wine educator in the Sonoma Valley. In addition to his work making wine, he also teaches winemaking classes for UC Davis Extension and Santa Rosa Junior College. A graduate of the Viticulture and Enology program at the UC Davis, Pat supplemented his formal education by interning at five different wineries while getting his degree. After graduation he worked in both the Napa and Sonoma valleys before taking his first position as head winemaker at Hedges Cellars in Washington State in 1995. After returning from the Northwest he became winemaker at Valley of the Moon Winery where he worked for six years before returning to Kenwood Vineyards where he had previously served as enologist 10 years before. Pat is a member of The American Society for Enology and Viticulture as well as the Society of Wine Educators and is co-author of the book About Wine; a textbook on wine for culinary students. He has also written articles for Winemaker Magazine and Practical Winery & Vineyard and has judged numerous wine professional competitions. Pat is speaking from 3:30 – 430 pm (EST) about “Winemaking Protocols to Improve Quality – Winery Operations Track”.
MAUREEN MACDONALD Maureen is a University of Vermont graduate with 19 years professional experience in the beverage and wine industry. She has studied oenology and cider making at Cornell University, Penn State, and Naugatuck Valley CC. She holds experience in both viticulture and oenology as a field manager and head winemaker for commercial vineyards. After years of working as a consultant to many vineyards, she now is the head winemaker for Hawk Ridge Winery, in Watertown, CT, where she makes 34 different wines. When she isn’t hard at work in the lab or winery, she is often judging commercial and amateur competitions or making hard cider and beer at home with her beloved dog, Dylan and cat, Harvey. From 11 am – Noon (EST) Maureen will highlight “Tips for Improving Winery Workflow During Harvest – Winery Operations Track”.
MATTHEW MCLAUGHLIN is the Founder of McLaughlin, PC. and also the Founder and CEO of Fertile Ground Beer Co. in Jackson, Mississippi. Matthew specializes in legal representation for craft breweries and distilleries. From 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. (EST), Matthew will discuss “5 Legal Mistakes Made by Small Wineries (and How to Avoid Them!)”.
PHIL PLUMMER has been making wine in New York’s Finger Lakes region for over a decade, spending the bulk of those years at Montezuma Winery, where he has served as head winemaker since 2013. In his time at Montezuma, Phil has taken a lead role in the development and production of a wide-ranging portfolio of wines made from grapes, fruit, and honey, and was instrumental in the launch of Montezuma’s sister wineries, Idol Ridge and Fossenvue. Phil will discuss “New Wines to Attract New Customers: Keys to Making Great Pet Nats & Orange Wines” from 1 – 2 p.m (EST) .
CRAIG ROOT has more than 30 years experience working with tasting rooms. For over 13 years he was first staff and then a successful manager. For the last 20 years he has consulted with more than 200 tasting rooms including over 90 start ups mostly in the U.S. but also in China, Canada, and France. He is the only person who lectures on tasting room design and management at UC Davis in its continuing and professional development division.Join Craig as he discusses “Secrets of Wine Club Success” from 1 – 2 p.m.(EST)
GENI WHITEHOUSE is a consulting team member with the accounting and advisory firm, BDCo. Geni has been named one of the 25 most powerful women in accounting by CPA Practice Advisor, one of the Top 100 Influencers by Accounting Today magazine, and one of the Top 25 Thoughtleaders in Accounting. Geni is an instructor at the WISE Academy, where she teaches accounting concepts to winery staff and is a former board member of the Napa/Sonoma Chapter of Women for WineSense where she served as Education Director. Join Geni’s seminar on “Understand your Winery’s Key Financial Numbers” from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. (EST) .
DONNIELLA WINCHELL, Executive Director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association, is past chair of the WineAmerica State Advisory Committee and is active in Winegrape Growers of America, the Ohio Travel Association and serves on several other state and national committees. She is a member of the Ohio Agriculture and Ohio Wines Halls of Fame, a Rotary Harris Fellow, a member of the Knights of the Vine and the recipient of the Monteith Wine Award. In 2020, she was named an industry influential by Wine Business Magazine and in 2021 was awarded the Rich Smith Award of Excellence in American Wine. In 2022 the Wine Industry Network named her one of the industry’s ten most inspiring people. She has contributed to several national wine publications, writes weekly wine columns for a dozen Ohio print and online publications, authors a marketing e-letter, Tuesday Tidbits, and speaks at numerous wine and tourism conferences. She teaches occasional wine related courses at Kent State Ashtabula, is a graduate of Allegheny College with a BA in History and taught in Ohio public schools before retiring to raise a family and take the Ohio wines position. Donniella will talk about “Generation Wine Marketing to Boomers, X’s, Millennials, and Z’s” from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. (EST)
