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Rebekah  Wineburg

Winemaker, Quintessa

With experience in the wine-growing regions of California, Oregon, Italy, and New Zealand, Rebekah contributes a worldly perspective to the cultivation and production of luxury wines in Napa. Rebekah’s passion for winemaking began when at the age of 16 she visited Napa Valley vineyards with her parents, and an Australian friend of her father who was a chemist and a winemaker. At each of the vineyards he explained winemaking and wine tasting to Rebekah. The discussions from that visit left such a lasting impression that she went on to pursue a dual degree in chemistry and biology at Macalester College with the dream of becoming a winemaker. Committing wholeheartedly to her dream, she enrolled in the winemaking program at the University of California, Davis, where she earned her master’s degree in viticulture and enology. After completing her MS with a thesis on the effects of winemaking techniques on the phenolic composition of Cabernet Sauvignon, she abandoned the lab and went headfirst into a series of harvests in Italy, Oregon, and New Zealand before settling down in Napa Valley where she has worked and continued to learn wine making at exceptional producers, such as Staglin Family, Rudd Estate and Buccella Wines before joining the Quintessa team in 2015. She is a professional member of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture and past President of the Napa Valley Wine Technical Group.

After all these years, Rebekah still cannot believe her good fortune – to have become acquainted in her teens with the beautiful Napa Valley and with winemaking, which led to such a fulfilling career. For Rebekah, the joy of winemaking is the opportunity to be a part of something so much more, as wines have a life and spirit of their own.

Country born: US

Education: Master's degree in viticulture and enology at University of California, Davis
Dual degree in chemistry and biology at Macalester College

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years