LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Winery Association is welcoming its 2013 slate of seven directors.
This group of seven board members will direct the organization's marketing activities, which include promoting the wines, wineries and tourism of Lake County.
Returning LCWA board of directors are Nick Buttitta, owner of Rosa d’Oro Vineyards, chosen to chair the group in 2013; Gregory Graham, owner of Gregory Graham Wines, vice chair; and Steve Tylicki, general manager/viticulturist, Steele Wines.
Newly elected LCWA directors include Jacquelyn St. Martin, direct-to-consumer sales and hospitality manager, Six Sigma Ranch & Winery, who will be treasurer; Megan Hoberg, tasting room manager, Wildhurst Vineyards; Jonathan Walters, co-owner and manager, Robinson Lake Vineyards, board secretary; and Dustin Fults, consumer direct and hospitality manager, Langtry Estate & Vineyards.
“In 2013, it is our task to increase awareness of Lake County’s great wines and to promote Lake County as an adventurous wine tourist destination,” said Buttitta, a member of both the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Kelseyville Business Association, and a member of the California Wine Institute.
St. Martin attended the International Sommelier Guild in Austin, Texas, where she earned wine sommelier Levels I and II certification and later received her advanced certification with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust based out of London. She holds a marketing degree from Texas A&M University, and her wine experience includes direct sales, hospitality and wine club management.
Hoberg is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, enjoys running, hiking and managing the tasting room at Wildhurst. Her passion for wine and developing wine tourism is the spark for innovative and proactive ideas for the future of the winery association.
Walters, a graduate of Texas A&M University, has completed four years of winegrape harvest at Robinson Lake Vineyard in Upper Lake and was recently elected to serve on the board of the Lake County Winegrape Commission.
Fults, the other new member to the 2013 LCWA board, is a graduate of California State University, Northridge, and has worked in the wine industry in both the vineyard and wines sales and hospitality since 2005. His family owns a 45-acre ranch and plans to open its own winery and tasting room in Lower Lake in the near future.
In addition to the LCWA Board of Directors, several committees provide the drive and resources to complete a multitude of LCWA projects, promotions and activities that keep the Lake County high elevation wine region in the forefront of California’s wine industry.
Founded in 2007, LCWA is a nonprofit vintner organization representing more than 30 wineries.
Individuals interested in getting involved in the Lake County world of wine are invited to contact the Lake County Winery Association through its Web site at www.lakecountywineries.org .