Mark Beringer

Winemaker, Artesa Vineyards & Winery

For Mark Beringer, Artesa's Winemaker and Head of Production, a career in winemaking was perhaps inevitable. As a Napa Valley native and the great, great grandson of Beringer Vineyards co-founder Jacob Beringer, Mark grew up immersed in the wine industry. A fifth generation winemaker from Napa Valley, Mark is proud to continue a family tradition of making high quality wines in California's premier AVAs. By the time he joined Artesa in 2009, Mark had 26 harvests under his belt. Having worked in both Napa and Sonoma, Mark focuses on capturing the essence of place "the taste of the vineyard " in each of his wines. Mark builds each Artesa wine component by component, striving for wines that are complex, yet harmonious.

Mark was only 12 when he started working at his parents' wine store. Stocking shelves and dusting bottles, he became familiar with the complicated language of wine, and discovered that all wines are not created equal. Looking for more hands-on experience, Mark worked at his uncle???s winery while attending college, learning the ins and outs of cellar jobs. In 1990, he graduated from California State University, Fresno armed with a B.S. in Enology and then joined Glen Ellen Winery in Sonoma, spending the next year and a half learning the logistical side of winemaking. In 1992, he joined Duckhorn Vineyards as an enologist, and ultimately managed all winemaking for the company.

Country born: United States

Education: Mark attended Santa Rosa JuniorCollege, and later at California State University, Fresno, where he graduated in 1990 with a B.S. in Enology

Years in the wine industry: 15-20 years

Honors / Awards:
During Mark's tenure at Duckhorn Wine Company he garnered two "Winery of the Year" titles from Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine, was named four-time "Regional Winery of the Year" by Wine & Spirits Magazine and won the #6 rated wine of the year in the Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2002 with the Duckhorn Vineyard 1999 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaking Philosophy:
Allowing a wine to most fully express and show its terroir through minimal manipulation in the winemaking process