Upon completing studies in Molecular & Cellular Biology at Berkeley, Steve Ryan's path shifted. Instead of pursuing medicine, Steve chose beer and wine. With yeast on the mind, Steve tackled fermentation at UC Davis and rose to become Brewmaster for Gordon Biersch. Throughout his 6-year brewing tenure, the dark side of the force beckoned and Steve was drawn into the wonderfully evil clutches of wine. It refuses to let go.

Patrick's love for wine began while working in the restaurant industry in his hometown of Charleston, SC.  During his ten-year tenure at the nationally renowned Slightly North of Broad, Patrick had the opportunity to try numerous wines from all over the world. This experience fostered his desire to educate himself even more about wine, winemaking, and its history. His honeymoon in Napa and Sonoma solidified this passion, and he decided that he was no longer content to just sell wine: he wanted to become a winemaker. To this end, upon returning from this trip, Patrick went back to school to focus on chemistry and biology, eventually applying and being accepted to University of California Davis' (UCD) Viticulture and Enology program.

In 2000, Patrick began his foray into the California wine world by working for Robert Sinskey Vineyards while attending UCD.  During this time, he also assisted Dr. Andy Walker in the UCD vineyards, for two years helping in the Pierce's Disease Resistance Rootstock Breeding Program. Upon graduating from UCD, Patrick worked as the Harvest Enologist for Hanna Winery before becoming the Assistant Winemaker at Keller Estate. While at Keller, Patrick gained invaluable hands-on experience by working closely with renowned winemaker Michael McNeill (now at Hanzell) to produce multiple award-winning wines.

You are reading this biography on either a large, medium or handheld sized computer screen. You can thank Eric Hansen for that. Eric began his professional career at Intel, where he worked to introduce people to a revolutionary device called the personal computer. Without firing a single shot, Eric and his fellow revolutionaries won the war and now the entire planet is fluent in dotcom.

During a successful career as software consultant for notables like Stanford University, Williams-Sonoma, Levi Strauss, Price Waterhouse Coopers, The California Teachers Association and Chevron, Eric fell in love with wine. Extensive reading and tasting led to studies at UC Davis, Napa Valley College and Las Positas College. A revolutionary career change soon followed.

Fernando oversees enology at The Wine Foundry. Originally hailing from Santiago, Fernando’s wine journey began a decade ago at Haras de Pirque Vineyards, located within Chile’s picturesque Maipo Valley. In 2006, his love of wine and travel conspired to bring him to California where he has handled cellar and enology responsibilities at Central Coast Wines, Deloach Vineyards, Etude Wines, Dashe Cellars and Treasure Island Wines.

 A fifth generation resident of Napa Valley, Charlotte’s journey into wine came naturally. She grew up at the feet of a grandmother and grandfather who recounted the daily goings-on at now legendary properties where they toiled (and ultimately succeeded) to put Napa and Sonoma on the world’s wine map.

Growing up in the wine country it is hard to believe the wine industry didn't take hold of Margaret sooner. Working exclusively with software development companies, Margaret was the right hand to CEO's of two companies, handling every aspect of running an office with a positive and professional attitude. Deciding that the wine industry sounded like a glamorous and exciting field, she switched industry and began work at the Wine Foundry handling Logistics and Client Relations

After receiving his English and Political Science Degrees, Pete McAfee decided to take a harvest internship before looking for a job in his fields of study. However, he quickly became infatuated with the aromas of fermentation and has been working in the wine industry since those fateful days of 2007.

Some are born into privileged roles within the wine industry. Not Kodiak. His improbable tail of success began as a lost and lonely resident of the Marin Humane Society. Here, a desperate pup at leashes end, Kodiak found a way out by learning to bark in cat, bird, horse and human. Through a combination of vocal talent, unyielding determination and a refusal to wear doggie outfits, Kodiak barked himself up by his pawstraps and left behind the troubled times when he begged for food and drank water from hoses.

The Wine Foundry offers Custom Crush services to wine grape growers or clients who source their own fruit. For lots of one ton or more, we extend the same artisanal winemaking services we offer to clients who use our own fruit sources. Our services are competitively priced and designed to foster long-term partnerships with grape growers.

The Wine Foundry offers wine centric team-building and educational experiences for groups of 4 to 40. Each activity is hands-on and has you engage with actual winery equipment to explore a particular aspect of the winemaking process. Because the needs of your group are unique, we deliver seated or immersive experiences designed to engage, educate and entertain

Weddings: Looking for a special twist to your wedding day? A unique gift for friends and family to create with you? A fun way to remember your wedding for years to come? With The Wine Foundry, you not only personalize the wine label to commemorate your wedding, you also create a custom wedding wine blend and select your custom wine bottle, capsule and cork. We offer wax dipping, large bottles, personalized corks, fanciful labels and wooden boxes. Download our Weddings Brochure.

TWF/LAB provides a wide range of lab analysis services utilizing the FOSS WineScan, at the most competitive pricing you'll find. We provide a full panel analysis for each sample emailed to you the next business day (same day service available as well). Download out Lab services brochure here or contact Fernando S.M. Borgeaud at 707-637-8821 x 7274