Rosé of Grenache is Premier Release from Trailblazing Latina Wine Pioneer
NAPA, California (July 27, 2023)—Vanessa Robledo has a new project, and this time it is her own. After 25 years in the wine business, she has her own wine brand, Vintner’s Diary. The inaugural release, a 2022 Rosé of Grenache from Napa Valley, is available for purchase now, and will ship starting August 7, 2022. After more than two decades helping others achieve their wine dreams, Vanessa Robledo decided to strike out on her own. “I realized the time had come for me to create my own legacy,” she explained. “So, for the first time I have given myself permission to create a brand of my own, and I chose to do it with the two most important people in my life: my daughter Jocelyn and my mom.”
Just in time for the joyous summertime celebrations, Vintner’s Diary proudly presents their inaugural Rosé made by three generations of Latina vintners. Because she is Vanessa Robledo, Vintner’s Diary is not just a wine brand. It is also an educational tool. The Vintner’s Diary tagline reads “Wine intimidation is common. We make it simple.” Daughter Jocelyn Solis, an aspiring film maker, has produced a series of videos that will be released later this year on the Vintner’s Diary website to help make wine less intimidating. The first of these videos is already available for viewing here. Also in the mix is Vanessa’s mother, Maria de la Luz who is featured in the video diaries cooking her traditional Mexican dishes.
About Vintner’s Diary, Jocelyn said, “My mom has spent her career working to help other people achieve their dreams. It was time for her to chase her own dream, and I am thrilled to help.”
Vanessa Robledo was born in Sonoma and raised in Napa, California. She grew up in the wine business, helping in her parent’s vineyard when she was 8, and by 12 she was translating for her father in business meetings. In 1997, her father felt the time was right to start a winery and he tapped Vanessa to get it up and running. She was 19 at the time. Vanessa acquired a use permit, worked her way through compliance issues, helped design the packaging, and eventually opened the first Mexican American owned tasting room established by vineyard workers in California. She developed a sales and marketing program for the Robledo Family Winery, that focused on the contribution of Mexican Americans to the California wine industry, while inviting Latinos and others new to wine to learn about it in an easy to understand manner.
She established a wine club and organized events that honored Mexican American culture by featuring Mexican food prepared by her mother and showing how to pair that food with Robledo Family Wines. Her program and concepts were so successful that Robledo Family Winery, which started at 100 cases per year production, is now the largest Mexican American owned winery in the United States.
In October 2008 Vanessa joined Black Coyote Wines in Napa as Managing Partner, becoming the first Robledo to leave the family business to strike out on her own. She quickly boosted its production and prestige. She increased membership in their wine club 100-fold, and the 2007 Black Coyote Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded 97 points and selected as one of the top 100 wines of the world. By 2011 Vanessa was majority owner at Black Coyote, remaining in that position for four years.
In 2015, seeking even greater challenges, Vanessa established Vanessa Robledo Wine Consulting which offered her hard-earned expertise to upcoming wineries and vineyards. She worked with multiple major event coordinators advising them on ways to reach and include Latino customers. She helped wineries and vineyards with marketing, compliance, business management, and both bulk and bottled wine sales. One of her key clients was her mother who was confronted with the daunting task of replanting 45 acres of vineyard. Vanessa helped her mother launch Maria de Luz Vineyards. Vanessa manages day-to-day operations of her mother’s company, negotiates and manages contracts, and sells the grapes. They have already completed replanting 19 acres of vineyard and are currently selling grapes to seven wineries in Sonoma, Napa, and Lake Counties.
A true pioneer dedicated to honoring the Latino contribution to the California wine industry, Vanessa continues to advise wineries and vineyard owners helping them achieve success. Now, for the first time, she has a wine of her own to share with the world. Vintner’s Diary 2022 Rosé of Grenache is available at http://vintnersdiary.com Only 150 cases were produced. For a limited time, Vintner’s Diary offers a special price of $27 per bottle, using code 3GEN. As of August 7, the price will increase to $36/bottle with FREE wine delivery to Napa, Sonoma, Marin and Solano counties.
Vanessa Robledo is the owner and founder of Vintner’s Diary. She is also President of Vanessa Robledo Wine Consulting. Her pioneering work has resulted in numerous accolades. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors honored her as the first district recipient of the Woman of Color Humanitarian Award. She was awarded the Latino Business Leadership Award, given to the most influential Latino leaders in the Bay Area. North Bay Business Journal named her one of 2007’s leading young professionals. In 2008 Latina Style Magazine honored Vanessa as “Latina Entrepreneur of the Year.” In 2015, Vanessa was named Woman of the Year by both the Napa and Marin County Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. In 2022 she was recognized as a Latino Business Leadership Award recipient.
“Vanessa is not only the American Dream personified, she is reinventing that dream as she goes along, serving as a bridge over cultures, gender, wine industry, age, and family stereotypes.” —Sonoma Woman Magazine
