Premiere Napa Valley Live Auction

Alison  Rodriguez

Winemaker, Silverado Vineyards

From the steep slopes of the Rheingau and Nahe valleys, to the
alpine foothills of the Alto Adige and across Napa Valley, Alison
Rodriguez honed her wine making skills in diverse growing regions
around the world.
At Silverado Vineyards, Rodriguez oversees all winemaking activities
for the luxury winery and its four estate vineyards in Napa Valley’s
top AVAs including the Silverado Vineyard in Stags Leap District,
Mt. George Vineyard in Coombsville, Miller Ranch Vineyard in
Yountville and Borreo Ranch in Napa. Rodriguez is proud to carry
on the legacy of the Disney-Miller Family as only the third
winemaker in Silverado’s history. Silverado Vineyards became part
of the Foley Family Wines portfolio in July 2022.
A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Rodriguez remembers wine always
being part of her family table (even if the bottle was labeled
“Hearty Burgundy”) which inspired her passion. After graduating
from Duke University with a degree in International Relations, she
began her career path with an entry-level job in wine sales. After
five exciting years in global wine sales and marketing in San
Francisco, Portland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Rodriguez
decided to follow her childhood dream of working in the natural
sciences. She worked her way through Germany’s premier
winemaking and viticulture school, the Fachhochschule Geisenheim,
with winery and vineyard internships including winter pruning in the
snow, and working as a Sommelier at the Hotel Krone in
Assmannshausen.
After roles in the cellars and sustainable/organic vineyards of
Quivira Vineyards (Sonoma), Schlossgut Diel (Nahe), Weingut Graf
von Kanitz (Rheingau), Manincor (Alto Adige), and a practical thesis
at Schloss Johannisberg (Rheingau), Rodriguez decided to put down
roots in Northern California. She started in Sonoma County as
harvest enologist at Gallo Sonoma in Healdsburg, followed by a
position as enologist at Acacia Vineyards in Carneros. Rodriguez
then joined Sterling Vineyards in Calistoga as associate winemaker
working alongside consultant Paul Hobbs, moving on to Beringer
Napa Valley to work on single vineyard and reserve tier Cabernet
Sauvignon with Laurie Hook and Mark Beringer. Before joining
Silverado Vineyards, she spent six vintages as winemaker at The
Hess Collection, perfecting her skills in almost 900 acres of estate
Napa vineyards with winemaker Dave Guffy and consultant Celia
Welch.

Country born: USA

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years