Napa, CA (March 25, 2015) – Artesa has appointed Ana Diogo-Draper to Director of Winemaking. The announcement follows the recent departure of head winemaker Mark Beringer, who has left to pursue a new venture at Beringer Vineyards. Diogo-Draper joined Artesa in 2013.
“Over the past ten years we have been on track to continually improve the wine program and show the highest expression of our Carneros-Napa Valley terroir,” states Arthur O’Connor, President, Artesa Vineyards & Winery and Director of Winemaking for Bodegas y Viñedos Codorníu Raventós. “We have great confidence in Ana’s ability to take us to even greater heights, and are extremely grateful to Mark for shaping the positive direction of Artesa’s winemaking team. We wish him all the best in his new role.”
Diogo-Draper added: “It has been great working with Mark and I am thrilled to carry on the legacy that the Codorníu Raventós family began more than twenty years ago. I am so proud to have this opportunity.”
Diogo-Draper is the first woman to hold the top winemaking position at Artesa. The winery dates back to the 1980s, when the historic Spanish winemaking family Codorníu Raventós began to acquire and develop vineyard land in the Carneros region of Napa Valley. Opened in 1991 as Codorníu Napa, a sparkling wine house, the winery ultimately transitioned to producing still wines as successive vintages revealed the quality and potential of the family’s vineyard holdings. The winery was renamed Artesa – Catalan for “handcrafted” – in 1997, and has since become a leading producer of artisan wines from Carneros and Napa Valley. Codorníu Raventós is still family-owned and is the oldest company in Spain with a winemaking legacy in the Penedès region near Barcelona that dates back to 1551. Today, Codorníu Raventós owns wineries in Spain, Argentina and California, and brings generations of expertise to Artesa.
About Ana Diogo-Draper
Born and raised in Portugal, Diogo-Draper moved to California in 2005 to join the team at Rutherford Hill Winery. In the course of her eight-year tenure she was promoted from harvest intern to Lab Manager, and finally, Assistant Winemaker. She joined Artesa Vineyards & Winery in 2013. Known for her collaborative approach, Diogo-Draper thrives in the fast-paced winery environment and excels at a wide diversity of roles from laboratory analysis and quality control assurance to creative applications such as sensory analysis and blending. Diogo-Draper credits her professional success to a passion for agriculture and winemaking, nurtured from a young age in Portugal when she first planted vines with family and neighbors immersed in the European tradition of wine appreciation. Diogo-Draper holds a B.A. in Agriculture Engineering from the University of Évora, situated in the middle of Portugal’s historic cork industry. Fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish and French, Diogo-Draper brings an international perspective to the Artesa winemaking team.
About Artesa Vineyards & Winery
Artesa Vineyards & Winery sits high on a hilltop overlooking the renowned appellation of Carneros in southern Napa Valley. The winery’s roots date back to the 1980’s when the Raventós family, heirs of the Spanish winemaking dynasty Codorníu, began acquiring land in Napa Valley. In 1997 it was named Artesa, from the Catalan word for handcrafted. Today, Artesa focuses on producing small lots of the varietals for which Carneros and the Napa Valley are best known and aims to capture the essence of terroir through exceptional winemaking. Artesa hosts thousands of visitors each year in their artfully-designed tasting room, and offers over twenty wines for direct purchase from the winery. Artesa wines are nationally represented by Aveníu Brands, Baltimore, MD, a division of CodorníuRaventós.
