April 28th – Nicolette Nickolaou, founder, and Wayne Bailey, winegrower of Youngberg Hill Vineyards in McMinnville, OR, are pleased to welcome Carrie Bonney, the winery’s first full-time General Manager, to lead their three hospitality businesses in McMinnville – Youngberg Hill Vineyards & Bailey Family Wines, The Youngberg Hill Inn, and Event Center & Wedding business.
This is a new position for Youngberg Hill, created to ensure an impeccable client experience as the winery expands operations, personalizes visitor tasting experiences, and enhances wine club benefits.
Carrie’s operational and management experience was formed during 1993 to 1998 as a Military Police Officer. From 1998 to 2000 she attended Central Missouri State and earned a Masters in Criminal Justice, which led to managing a “Private Eye” firm in Kansas City, MS from 2000 to 2003.
So how did she go “From Boots to Bottles?” Bonney says she is a soldier turned drinker of wine and knower of many things, with lots of training. Lots!
Bonney gained operational and communications skills during a stint at Farmers Insurance, Kansas City & Los Angeles from 2003-2018. She traveled the U.S. with Farmers and developed community based natural disaster programs to rebuild houses for underprivileged families. She also worked on “Suits for Soldiers” to outfit returning vets for professional business careers.
Bonney moved to Oregon in 2018 to manage winery operations at another local Willamette Valley winery, where she produced her own label – Puggy Vine Wines – Rose’ and Pinot Noir wines. She is currently taking her WSET III exams and hopes to eventually obtain a diploma, assuming she can find time away from her GM role at Youngberg Hill.
ABOUT YOUNGBERG HILL
Youngberg Hill is an award-winning hillside estate winery in McMinnville, Oregon, that boasts 23 acres of LIVE-certified, organic and biodynamically farmed vines, a legacy of family farming stretching back more than 150 years, and one of the best views in the Willamette Valley. Owned and operated by the Bailey family, who live on-site, the Youngberg Hill property includes a nine-room inn, tasting room, and a contemporary wedding/event space.
