April 13th – David Amadia, former President of Ridge Vineyards, has accepted a new role as Chief Operating Officer at Fantesca Estate & Winery starting in early April. He will work alongside an all-star team including winery owners Susan and Duane Hoff as well as storied winemakers Heidi Barrett, “The Queen of Cult Cabernet” as acclaimed by top wine critic Robert Parker, Tony Arcudi, maker of 100-point wines at Kapcsandy, and wine industry veteran DLynn Proctor, named “Best Sommelier in America” by Wine & Spirits Magazine in 2008. As COO, Amadia will oversee all winery operations, sales, marketing, and hospitality, building upon Susan and Duane’s vision of rare, high-quality wines paired with impeccable hospitality for Fantesca’s allocation members.
Amadia’s 30 plus year wine industry experience, including the last 17 years with Ridge, has been a journey of elevating world-class wineries and wines. His path includes meaningful stints at Penfolds with Grange, at Bonny Doon with Le Cigare Volant, and at Ridge Vineyards with Monte Bello. Throughout his career, Amadia has led teams to elevated performance by improving business sustainability, quality and depth of distribution, and awareness with key press and trade. “Fantesca is approaching its 20th anniversary and Susan, Duane and the team have done an amazing job of attracting great talent, producing exceptionally high-quality wine, and establishing a loyal clientele. My role is to collaborate with and lead this talented team to set an ambitious course for even greater things over the next 20 years and then successfully execute this ambitious vision.”
“David’s roles and relationships with wine industry icons and his top-level executive experience is precisely what we were searching for,” notes Susan Hoff, Fantesca Estate & Winery proprietress. “We’ve built our dream here on Spring Mountain and now think that David can take us to the next level,” notes proprietor, Duane Hoff.
Fantesca Estate & Winery is in St. Helena, California, and is open by appointment only. Susan and Duane Hoff purchased the estate in 2004 and asked Heidi Barrett and then Tony Arcudi to craft their wines and tap into longtime industry relationships for Napa Valley, and Russian River Valley winegrapes to make sought-after wines.
The name of the winery comes from a character in the Italian comedy troupe that inspired Cirque Du Soleil. La Fantesca was the single female character in the early theatrical performances of Commedia dell’Arte. Both the lover and the equal of the protagonist, Harlequin, Fantesca could always be counted on to charm the audience. When the Hoffs heard Fantesca described as “Sexy, Smart, and Unpretentious,” they knew the name was worth living up to. For more information, please visit https://fantesca.com/.
