Our People
Our People
Jessica Tarpy, Winemaker
Casino Mine Ranch
Jessica is a winemaker because she spent a summer in Pisa eating gelato and decided to major in Italian and one thing led to another. Jessica has made wine in many interesting places, including Klein Constantia in South Africa. With Andy Erickson and Annie Favia, she owns the experimental label ROOM.
Phillipe Melka,
Consulting Winemaker – Andis Wines
A native of Bordeaux, Melka grew up intrigued by the intricacies of the land around him. Earning a degree in Geology at the University of Bordeaux, a class in winemaking in his final year was a turning point, propelling him to earn a Master’s degree in Agronomy and Enology.
Peter & Derek Delfino, Winemakers
Edio, Delfino Farms
Christine Delfino Noonan, General Manager
Edio, Delfino Farms
Andy Erickson, Consulting Winemaker
Casino Mine Ranch
Andy has made his mark at Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Staglin Family Vineyards, and Mayacamas Vineyards. He and his viticulturist wife, Annie Favia, have two daughters, and helm their own wine labels, Favia Wines and Leviathan.
Mackenzie Cecchi, General Manager
Casino Mine Ranch
Co-Founder Sierra Foothill Wine Collective
Mackenzie has studied and worked in the hospitality industry for over 15 years. From Napa Valley to New York City, including a stint in Argentina, she has gained experience working for celebrity chefs, 100-point winemakers, and mom-and-pop shops. Her passion for food and wine has led to her current role as Partner and General Manager at Casino Mine Ranch Winery in Plymouth, California. Mackenzie and her husband Brad Cecchi own two restaurants; and they live with their daughter, Wallis, in Fair Oaks, California.
Bertus van Zyl, Co-Owner
Belong Wine Co.
Bertus knew he wanted to be a winemaker at the age of 15. He went on to study Viticulture and Enology at the University of Stellenbosch. He has worked in the cellar at Deetlefs Estate, Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons, Glen Carlou, Hess Collection, Chappellet, Regusci, and T-Vine and has been in his current position as the head winemaker for James Cole and Tank Garage wineries since 2012. His happy place has always been out in the vineyards, where he can be found in short shorts.
Ally van Zyl, Co-Owner
Belong Wine Co.
Alli has always found great joy in the creative process and is a Jill of many trades. After studying Sociology at CSU Chico, she began her career in the wine industry managing a wine bar in downtown Napa for four years. She currently blends her talents in hospitality, marketing, and graphic design to uplift small, family-owned wine brands and launched Belong Wine Co. with her husband Bertus in 2017.
Edward Cholakian, Winemaker
Lusso Della Terra
A graduate from Sonoma State University with a Bachelors degree in Accounting, Edward began his wine industry career on the accounting side of winery operations at several wineries after graduation. One of the wineries he worked for was an inspirational Italian wine making family in the Russian River Valley. They showed him the true wine industry lifestyle and he inevitably fell in love.
After quickly realizing he was not excited about being a winery accountant, he spoke with several winemakers and asked how he could change his career path to wine production. Taking the advice of the reputable winemakers, he went to world famous UC Davis and received a education in Enology. From behind the desk, computer, and calculator, to the cellar as an intern, our winemaker began his transformation. Working his way up from cellar rat to lab technician to bottling management where he managed all aspects of bottling for several clients, totaling somewhere around 250,000 cases a year.
Finally, he made it onto the wine making team after years of working his way up the production ladder. Edward was able to gain a tremendous amount of experience in all aspects of wine making and wine production. Being able to work alongside world-renowned winemakers proved to be invaluable. Some of his past experience comes from time he spent at premium wineries like Cakebread Cellars, Chateau St Jean, Monterey Wine Company, Fetzer Vineyard, as well as consulting and producing for over 30 wineries within California.
Ultimately he found his own style and wine making practices to what he can now show in our award-winning Lusso Della Terra wines.
Lorenzo Muslia, Vintner Partner
Andis Wines, Co-Founder Sierra Foothill Wine Collective
After studying Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan, a family wish, he switched directions. His desire to become a farmer did not sit well with his family so he wandered. His travels around Tuscany's wine region caused him to fall in love with cooking and wine - a realization that wine was not just a liquid in a bottle, but a way of life.
Lorenzo joined the Andis team in 2015 in the tasting room and was soon promoted to National Sales Manager. In 2018, Lorenzo became a partner and joined the winemaking team assembling the best wines our vineyards can offer.
Janis Akuna & Andy Friedlander, Founders
Andis Wines
Andis Wines is located in California's beautiful Sierra Foothills AVA. Janis Akuna, Andy Friedlander, and partners built the winery with a green design to be a state-of-the-art facility. Opened in November 2010, Andis brought an old-world approach to wines from the Sierra Foothills.
Nolan Jones, Winemaker
Lava Cap
Nolan Jones is a third-generation winemaker at his family’s winery, Lava Cap, founded by his grandfather in 1986 in Northern California’s El Dorado AVA. Raised among the mountain vineyards of the Sierra Foothills, Nolan champions the distinct wines from his family's volcanic Estate, and the high-elevation winegrowing taking place across the El Dorado AVA.
Adam Smith, Winemaker
Cold Spring
Adam Smith began his career as a winemaker in 2004, honing his craft with ultra-premium producers in the Pacific Northwest, Burgundy and Sonoma before returning to his home soil in El Dorado County to build Cold Spring. Toiling over an array of unique vineyard sites, Adam is lovingly obsessed with producing transcendent expressions of El Dorado terroir.