Napa native pairs luxury hotel expertise with wine savviness to raise the bar at Rutherford winery
RUTHERFORD, Calif. (July 25, 2019) – Alpha Omega, a family-owned winery on the legendary Rutherford Bench of Napa Valley, is pleased to announce the promotion of Jeff Knowles to Chief Operations Officer. Knowles becomes the first-ever COO at the winery that celebrates its 13-year anniversary this month. In his new role, he oversees all areas of hospitality, sales, IT, shipping and logistics, maintenance and housekeeping and team services while collaborating with Chief of Production Josh Baker, CFO Chelsea Cameron and Alpha Omega Vintner Michelle Baggett, who heads the marketing division.
“I knew when I first met Jeff that he was someone special who possessed the skills, demeanor and desire to take Alpha Omega to the next level in hospitality,” Alpha Omega Vintner Robin Baggett said. “He quickly surpassed my expectations and has continued to impress me with his abilities.”
Knowles said, “I’m very excited for this opportunity. As terrific as Alpha Omega is doing with all-time highs in revenue and profitability and our outstanding guest experience, we are never satisfied. I thank the Baggetts for this incredible elevation and look forward to working with the entire Alpha Omega team to continue to raise the bar.”
Knowles joined Alpha Omega two years ago as Estate Manager and quickly became Estate Director after demonstrating how well his skills in the luxury hotel business translate to a boutique winery. His previous positions include General Manager of Timbers Bachelor Gulch in Colorado, General Manager of The Residences at Kapalua Bay on Maui and Director of Operations at Hotel Castello di Casole in Italy, a property he oversaw the construction of and grand opening of what went on to be voted the number one hotel in Europe by Travel + Leisure in its first two years of existence.
A native of Napa Valley, Knowles comes from a family firmly entrenched in the wine business and spent a couple of years working in the cellar at Robert Mondavi Winery. Once he went to work for The Carneros Inn, where he was the Front Office Manager, he vowed to remain in the hotel business. “I couldn’t be happier that Alpha Omega swayed his mind,” Robin Baggett said.
About Alpha Omega
Founded in 2006 by Robin and Michelle Baggett, Alpha Omega began as a direct-to-consumer pioneer and now sells 90% of its wine through this channel. Located on Highway 29 on the legendary Rutherford Bench of Napa Valley, Alpha Omega handcrafts Bordeaux-style wines made with prized grapes from its own vineyards and historic vineyards throughout Napa Valley. Winemaker Henrik Poulsen and world-renowned consultants Jean Hoefliger and Michel Rolland create world-class wines that uniquely express the essence of this famous wine region. Surrounded by fountains, vineyards and mountains, the beauty of this modern, farm-style winery is as captivating as its wine. Alpha Omega operates almost entirely on solar power, and both the land and winery are Napa Green certified. To learn more, please visit www.aowinery.com.
