Keynote Speaker

Voted the world's most influential wine critic in various polls in the US, France and internationally in 2018, Jancis founded JancisRobinson.com in 2000, where she is editor in chief and main contributor. She is the wine correspondent for the Financial Times, founder-editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, and co-author with Hugh Johnson ofThe World Atlas of Wine.

jancisrobinson.com
@jancisrobinson

Founder & Chairperson of The Old Vine Project, South Africa

Rosa Kruger, has been a consultant vineyard manager for over 20 years, specialising in designing new vineyard sites and managing existing vineyards to produce exceptional quality wines. In 2002, she began documenting South Africa’s old vines, leading to the creation of the Old Vine Project in 2016. The initiative focuses on preserving viticultural heritage, promoting research, supporting workers, and adapting to climate change, while expanding its influence with more wines under its banner.

oldvineproject.co.za
@oldvineproject

Director & Technical Secretary
CRDO Campo de Borja

José Ignacio Gracia Lopez studied Agricultural Engineering at the University of Zaragoza and obtained a Master in Viticulture and Oenology from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. He has worked for more than 35 years to date in the DO Campo de Borja, in Spain and is currently pursuing his Diploma studies at WSET in London.

docampodeborja.com
@docampodeborja

Managing Director, Vinchio Vaglio

Vinchio Vaglio is a Piedmontese cooperative that farms 470 hectares of vines including prized old-vine Barbera. Marco, a graduate in Economics, started as a driver at Vinchio Vaglio in 2011 and is now Managing Director of this dynamic producer that has championed and safeguarded old vine Barbera for decades.

www.vinchio.com
@vinchiovaglio

Chairman of the Board, Winemaker Emeritus, Ridge Vineyards

Paul Draper grew up on a farm near Chicago, received a degree in philosophy at Stanford University and lived in Italy and France, where he studied traditional winemaking. In the 1960s, he co-founded a winery in Chile, producing old vine cabernet. Paul joined Ridge Vineyards in 1969, perfecting single-vineyard pre-industrial winemaking techniques. Draper is renowned for Monte Bello cabernets and chardonnays, and pioneering complex, long-lived zinfandels from heritage old-vine vineyards.

ridgewine.com
@‌ridgevineyards

Executive Director, ZAP

Rebecca has been the Executive Director of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) for 30 years devoted to the promotion of Zinfandel tradition, historic and new vineyards, wines, and wineries. She has led a diverse association of hundreds of producers, growers, trade, media, and consumers whose mission is the preservation of California's Zinfandel tradition.

zinfandel.org
@zap.zinfandel

Managing Director, Catena Zapata & Founder, Catena Institute of Wine

Dr. Laura Catena, a fourth-generation Argentine vintner, biologist, physician, and author, is internationally recognised as a leading advocate for Argentine wine and Malbec. She has led Catena Zapata since 2009 and founded Luca, La Posta, and Domaine Nico. In 1995, she established the Catena Institute of Wine to elevate Argentine wine through science, pioneering Malbec massale and old vine preservation, high-altitude terroir research, and contributing to Argentina’s Sustainability Code in collaboration with top global universities. In 2023, Dr. Catena was awarded the Old Vine Hero Award.

Catena Institute of Wine
@‌lauracatenamd

Architect and Manager of the Old Vine Registry

Based in Oakland, California, Alder launched his award-winning website vinography.com in 2004, and has been a columnist covering American wines for Jancis Robinson since 2011. He contributed to the latest editions of the Oxford Companion to Wine and the World Atlas of Wine, and writes irregularly for various other publications. Alder is the author of The Essence of Wine, a coffee table book about wine's flavors and aromas. 

vinography.com
@vinography

Owner & Winemaker, Once & Future Wine

Joel Peterson, AKA the Godfather of Zin, has been a winemaker for more than 50 years. Joel founded and built Ravenswood into a powerhouse Zinfandel brand. Joel’s latest project is Once & Future Wine where he focuses on making small production, hand crafted single vineyard old vine Zinfandels, resurrecting his old redwood fermenters that honour the distinctive typicity of site. In 2011, Joel was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame.

onceandfuturewine.com

Board member of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers the Historical Vineyard Society, and President of Robert Biale Vineyards

Born and raised in Napa, Bob Biale is the son and grandson of Napa Valley grape growers. Following his Naval service as a search and rescue swimmer, his three years in Papua New Guinea, and his university studies, he was drawn back to the family vineyards. Bob’s love and respect for multi-generational vineyards and the wines these vineyards produce, continue to inspire him. Today, Bob is a board member and past President of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, a board member of the Historical Vineyard Society, and President of Robert Biale Vineyards, a respected voice in the heritage category that his family has embraced.

biale.com

Viviana Malafarina, Winery Manager, Basilisco - Tenute Capaldo Group

Viviana Malafarina, trained as a teacher and sommelier on super yachts, found her passion for viticulture at Feudi. After just 3 months, owner Antonio Capaldo offered her a permanent role as viticulturist at Basilisco. She learned from Pierpaolo Sirch and was mentored by Denis Dubordieu. Since 2012, Viviana has led the winery and championed the ancient “Storico” vineyard, preserving traditional methods. She’s recognized as a bright young talent in Italian winemaking.

basiliscovini.it/en

Owner, Limerick Lane Cellars

Karen Francis DeGolia's history with Limerick Lane began in the early ’90s as the fiancée of the founder, Tom Collins. After Tom's unexpected death, Karen left California to find a new path, creating a successful career in the automotive industry. But Limerick Lane kept calling her. With her purchase of the Ricci vineyard over 20 years ago, Karen began her journey back. And in 2022, she became the owner of Limerick Lane Cellars, bringing her story full circle. Now stewarding a 53-acre estate, Karen is deeply committed to crafting exceptional wines and honoring the vineyard’s enduring legacy.  

limericklanewines.com

Co-founder Vigno & Garage Wine Co.

Toronto native Derek Mossman Knapp came to Chile to ski but stayed for love and wine. In 2001, he co-founded The Garage Wine Company with his wife Pilar and oenologist Dr. Alvaro Peña. It grew into a key player in Chile’s artisanal wine scene. Derek is a founding member of MOVI and part of the Vigno Collective, reviving old vineyards with a focus on regenerative farming to produce high-quality wines and support local communities.

garagewine.company
vigno.info

Co-proprietor of Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant

In 1991, Peter Granoff became the 15th American Master Sommelier, earning the Krug Champagne Cup and a James Beard Award. In 1995, he co-founded Virtual Vineyards, the first U.S. online wine retailer, later profiled by Harvard Business School. The venture became a landmark in e-commerce history. Since 2003, he has co-owned Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant in San Francisco and Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant in Napa.

petergranoff.com
@petergranoffms)

CEO, Tasting Climate Change Conference

Michelle is a certified sommelier, WSET-certified educator, and Stage 2 Masters of Wine candidate. In 2017, she founded Tasting Climate Change, an international symposium focused on climate solutions in the wine industry. She has published two books on wine and climate, with the latest edition released in 2024. Michelle writes for Le Devoir, Extra Brut, and Quench Magazine, appears on the TV show Curieux Bégin, and owns Vino Studio, offering WSET courses.

tastingclimatechange.com

President & co-founder of the Historic Vineyard Society, owner/ winemaker Bedrock Wine Co.

Morgan Twain-Peterson MW is the owner and winemaker for Bedrock Wine Co. in Sonoma, CA— a winery dedicated to preserving and rehabilitating ancient vineyards in California. The winery farms over 250 acres of grapes across five counties and is a leading voice in the regenerative farming movement. One of approximately 50 American Masters of Wine, Morgan is also the President and a founder of the Historic Vineyard Society.

bedrockwineco.com
@bedrockmorgan