Our Winemaking Team

Winemaker - Aaron Piotter
Aaron spearheads Ferrari-Carano's Red Wine Program, which is housed at our magnificent new Mountain Winery Estate in Alexander Valley.

"The vines tell us how to take care of the wines, and the wines tell us how to get the best from our vines," states Aaron. "At Ferrari-Carano, we share a philosophy of using the experiences our vines and wines have taught us to ensure that each year we progress as winemakers and winegrowers. As dedicated, passionate and responsible stewards of mountain and valley floor vineyards, we believe our wines will reflect this commitment."

Winemaker -- Sarah Quider
As white wine winemaker, Sarah employs gentle winemaking techniques, focusing on single vineyard sites for the Russian River Chardonnays, while blending wine for style, quality and multidimensional complexity that characterizes Ferrari-Carano's other white wines.

"My goal is to make complex, intense and seamless wines that are balanced in both richness and delicacy," said Sarah. "We have such tremendous diversity in our vineyards because we are located in various appellations, each with unique micro-climates, soils and clones. It's my desire to express that diversity in our wines."

Vineyard Director -- Steve Domenichelli
Steve Domenichelli, with his five vineyard managers and his team, orchestrate the entire vineyard operation by utilizing extremely labor-intensive practices, including implementing irrigation and nutrient regimes, trellis system and canopy management, rootstock/clonal combinations, and pruning/cane selection for each vineyard site and each block within a vineyard.

"We have over 1.1 million vines to tend to on roughly 1,400 acres of vineyards, and each vine is touched by human hands 6 to 8 times a season to ensure the highest quality fruit for our wines," said Steve Domenichelli. "In addition, we believe that giving back to the environment balances out the ecosystem and enhances the quality of our fruit, so we practice sustainable farming techniques such as recycling organic matter for use as mulch in the vineyards, planting cover crops and other plant species to avoid soil erosion, add desirable nutrients back to the soil and to attract desirable insects, as well as integrating animals to naturally enhance biodiversity and nutrient recycling."