Reagan Blackwood starts in sales role
ST. HELENA, NAPA VALLEY, Calif., June 29, 2016 — Reagan Rombauer Blackwood, granddaughter of founder Koerner Rombauer, has joined Rombauer Vineyards as Assistant Regional Sales Representative, becoming the first member of the family’s third generation to be employed at the 36-year-old Napa Valley winery. In her new role, Reagan assists with sales- and marketing-related projects, as well as represents the winery at sales events, tastings and auctions in California, Nevada and the Southwest.
The granddaughter of Koerner and daughter of Sheana Rombauer, Reagan grew up in Napa Valley and, like her mother before her, spent a good portion of her youth working at the family-owned winery. “I was there all the time. Some of our long-term employees are just like family to me,” says Reagan, whose experience over the years includes jobs in the accounting department and tasting room, and assisting with special events and wine clubs.
After graduating from high school, Reagan earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Boise State University, at the same time working as a project manager in Boise’s International Business Organization. In this role, Reagan was introduced to people from all over the world as she secured funding for projects, wrote grants and assisted with major club projects. She also served as an administrative assistant in the school’s Executive MBA Program. Following graduation, Reagan worked for New Directions Technologies Inc., a government contractor in California, first in administrative support and eventually as a project management analyst.
Reagan is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she also works as a licensed real estate agent. She credits her family for her entrepreneurial spirit. “Both sides of my family are successful business owners who taught me the importance of customer service, people skills and hard work,” Reagan says.
Rombauer Vineyards was founded in 1980 in St. Helena by Koerner and Joan Rombauer, who built their three-level winery into a hillside to take advantage of the natural cooling influences. Caves were added to the property in the 1990s, and today, state-of-the-art equipment includes three optical sorters, basket presses and peristaltic pumps, which ensure gentle handling of the wine every step of the way. The winery has one of the largest red wine barrel fermentation programs in Napa Valley. Rombauer owns and sustainably farms 350 acres of vineyards in St. Helena, Carneros, Atlas Peak, Calistoga and the Sierra Foothills as well as purchases grapes through long-term relationships with growers in these appellations.
Koerner Rombauer’s great-aunt Irma Rombauer was the author of the landmark cookbook The Joy of Cooking. The winery maintains a close relationship with Irma’s descendants, the Becker family, who have continued The Joy of Cooking legacy with regular updates. The Beckers provide recipes and food pairings for Rombauer wines and visit the winery each July as part of the annual Joy of Wine event celebrating the release of the newest vintage of Rombauer’s iconic Carneros Chardonnay.
The winery’s current nationally distributed wines are 2015 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 2014 Carneros Chardonnay, 2012 Carneros Merlot, 2013 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 Diamond Selection Cabernet Sauvignon and 2014 Rombauer Zinfandel. In addition, Rombauer Vineyards produces several limited-production and single-vineyard Chardonnays, Cabernets, Zinfandels and dessert wines available only through the winery.
