(Eugene, OR) — King Estate Winery Co-founder and CEO Ed King announces two key promotions in the winemaking department that will position the iconic Oregon winery for even greater growth and success.
Raymond Nuclo, who has served as Director of Viticulture for the past three years, is adding Winery Operations Manager to his responsibilities. Brent Stone has been named Director of Quality Assurance and Laboratory Operations after working as Lab Manager for four years.
“Promoting these outstanding leaders to their new roles creates capacity for our winemakers to focus their attention on winemaking while broadening the scope of the winemaking department to encompass all aspects of the winery’s operation,” King said.
Nuclo began his career in viticulture as a field laborer and tractor driver at a small family vineyard in Philomath, Ore. He received his bachelor of science degree in botany from the University of Maryland and attended graduate school at Oregon State University. Nuclo managed Croft Vineyards in Dallas, Ore., where he helped produce premium grapes for a number of the state’s most prestigious wineries, including King Estate.
After two years of consulting with King Estate, he joined the team full time in 2013. In his new role Nuclo will oversee the winemaking team as well as all the vineyards the winery contracts with to purchase fruit, stretching from the Columbia Valley of Washington and Oregon through the Willamette, Lorane, Umpqua and Rogue valleys.
Stone came to King Estate in 2011 with 10 years’ experience working primarily in quality control for Forbo, an adhesives manufacturer, and Oregon Ice Cream Company. In his new role he is responsible for bottling operations, packaging supply chain and quality control for winemaking. Stone has a bachelor of science degree in environmental science from Utah State University and is completing graduate work in agricultural food and life sciences at the University of Arkansas. In addition he has an Enology Certificate from Washington State University after completing a two-year program.
About King Estate: King Estate, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is located southwest of Eugene, Ore., at the southern tip of the Willamette Valley. Founded in 1991 by the King family, King Estate is committed to producing wines of exceptional quality under sustainable farming methods, organic certification with Oregon Tilth, and is in transition to Demeter USA’s Biodynamic standards. King Estate produces world-class Oregon Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, and wines from the inland growing regions of Oregon and Washington under its North by Northwest label. To this day, King Estate is owned and operated by the King family.
