Melissa Vogt is Former Deputy Editor at Wine Advocate
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (July 20, 2017) – With Sonoma County Winegrowers well on their way to becoming the first 100% sustainable winegrowing region in the United States, now is the time to expand educational efforts to key stake holders including sommeliers, wine buyers and consumers. The goal is to share the benefits of sustainable wine and communicate the many positive impacts it provides to the environment, grape growers, community and consumers. To do that, Sonoma County Winegrowers has announced the hiring of Melissa Vogt as its new Education and Communications Manager.
After moving to Sonoma County in 2012 to pursue her Master’s Degree at Sonoma State University, Vogt knew she wanted to continue following her passion and work in the wine industry. Her dream evolved when she noticed the Sonoma County Winegrowers announcement for the Education and Communications Manager position. She jumped at the opportunity to work with a global leader in wine sustainability. Her responsibilities will include overseeing the communications efforts directed at winegrape growers, the wine trade and influencers as well as consumers, and educational outreach including tours, events and related activities.
“We are fortunate to add the unique background and skill set that Melissa possesses,” said Karissa Kruse, president of the Sonoma County Winegrowers. She added, “We take great pride in our team and the resources we provide to our grower members and Melissa is a shining example of our commitment to be the best.”
Vogt’s career began as a freelance writer for the Examiner covering wine tasting events in San Francisco. Her talent and experience led to her freelancing for additional publications and expanding her scope of coverage from wine tasting to include food and restaurants throughout Northern California. After earning her Master’s Degree in Rhetoric and Composition, she was hired by Wine Country This Week to write about the wine community. She would later create and produce content for wine offers on SommSelect where, as the wine communications director, she mentored under Master Sommelier, Ian Cauble. With her growing expertise and experience, Vogt was hired in 2015 as the Deputy Editor at Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate where she had the lead role in editing one of the world’s most prestigious wine review publications.
“I am really excited to join Sonoma County Winegrowers,” said Vogt. She added, “I cannot think of a better way to support my local community and pursue my passion than by working on behalf of our region’s winegrape growers and their families.”
About Sonoma County Winegrowers:
The Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, also known as Sonoma County Winegrowers (SCW), was established in 2006 as a marketing and educational organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Sonoma County as one of the world’s premier grape growing regions. SCW has oversight by California Department of Food and Agriculture which supports producer regions. With more than 1,800 growers, SCW’s goal is to increase awareness and recognition of the quality and diversity of Sonoma County’s grapes and wines through dynamic marketing and educational programs targeted to wine consumers around the world.
In January 2014, SCW committed to becoming the nation’s first 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019. As of December 2015, 64% of the vineyard acreage in Sonoma County has gone through the sustainability self-assessment and 48% of vineyards are certified by a third party auditor. These sustainability efforts were recently recognized with California’s highest environmental honor, the 2016 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA). Learn more at www.sonomawinegrape.org
