New President/CEO
Napa, November 2016 – Dan Zepponi joins Cuvaison Estate Wines as President/CEO, in an announcement made by retiring CEO Jay Schuppert. In his role as President/CEO, Zepponi is responsible for all operations for the Cuvaison Estate Wines, in Carneros, and Brandlin Vineyard, in the Mt. Veeder appellation. The Cuvaison winery was established in 1969 and purchased by the Schmidheiny family of Switzerland in 1979.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead the next evolution of Cuvaison Estate Wines to greater growth and success,” Zepponi said, adding “it is such a valuable component of the authenticity story to have what is now 48 consecutive harvests of Napa Valley legacy.” Zepponi assumed the role of President/CEO on November 1st and will work closely with Jay Schuppert to transition institutional knowledge to ensure integrity of continuity for the historic brand.
“For nineteen years I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working for the Schmidheiny family,” explains retiring CEO Jay Schuppert. “It’s been a dream job with terrific and supportive ownership and a talented and caring team. There comes a time in everyone’s career to ‘rewire,’ and my wife Karen and I will do so at our home in Graeagle, California,” he adds.
Zepponi is a graduate of the UC Berkeley Engineering program with graduate business coursework from Regis University and has been a senior executive in the wine industry for many years, most recently running Vintage Strategies, Inc. a Napa-based consultancy firm. He has served as President of West Coast Wine Partners in Sonoma and President of Mission Hill Winery/Artisan Wine Company in British Columbia. Prior to those roles he was Senior Vice President, Production & Supply Chain of the Americas for Beringer/Fosters Wine Estates and has served on several industry boards in Napa, Sonoma and British Columbia, Canada.
“I have always known the name Cuvaison as my father started our family winery the same year in 1969 when I was very young,” Zepponi said. “I commend Jay and his team for expertly stewarding the brand over the last nineteen years through a tough recession and the successful transition to the Carneros location. I look forward to working with the Schmidheiny family by helping guide the next chapter of Cuvaison as well as establishing Brandlin as a prestigious Napa mountain vineyard brand,” he continued.
Zepponi is a commercially rated pilot, musician, home chef and an outdoor sports enthusiast. He lives in Napa with his wife Sherrie and their two non-human children Bobo and LittleDog.
Cuvaison Estate Wines and Brandlin are owned by Thomas Schmidheiny of Switzerland. The Schmidheiny family also owns vineyards and wineries in Australia, Argentina and Switzerland. Cuvaison enjoys a significant following for its Carneros Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and Brandlin for its luxury Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon.
The placement was made by The Cypress Group (www.cypress-grp.com) of St. Helena, California. The Cypress Group specializes in executive placements in the wine industry.
More information can be found at www.cuvaison.com and www.brandlinvineyard.com
