2012 Wine Business
Scholarship Recipients
Palmer Emmitt, Donn P. Reisen Scholarship
Palmer was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. Palmer worked as a film producer in Hollywood for nine years before his love for wine moved him to Sonoma County. Since making the transition to wine, Palmer has held a few different jobs in the wine industry; most notably as a Sommelier for the Rainbow Lodge near Lake Tahoe and as a marketing consultant for TastingRoom.com in Santa Rosa.
Palmer is currently working towards launching his own wine label, "Judge Palmer" - named after his grandfather, a former judge in El Dorado County - that will focus on single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from distinct vineyard sites throughout the North Coast. The first vintage (2011) consists of eight barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford, and Palmer hopes to expand production this year. The Donn P. Reisen Scholarship will allow him to pursue this dream while completing his Wine MBA at Sonoma State.
Palmer is currently one of four finalists participating at the first-ever student wine tasting competition hosted by the French American Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco. One thing that Palmer is looking forward to most is the great networking opportunities at La Soiree on October 12 in San Francisco and the opportunity to win a trip to France. He was proud that he was able to correctly guess the correct varietal of both the red and white wines in the blind tasting round of the competition. "The white- Marsanne, was especially difficult to pick out, I guess always trying new wines pays off!" Palmer encourages people to "try new wines at every opportunity-it is the best way to expand your palate and knowledge".
Read more information on the wine competition here.
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Brandye Alexander, Donn P. Reisen Scholarship
Brandye Alexander works for Crimson Wine Group as the Associate Brand Manager for Seghesio Family Vineyards. With a bachelor's degree in journalism, Brandye spent over a decade in the newspaper business before shifting to a career in the wine industry in 2009. She worked as Marketing Coordinator for Hahn Family Wines in Napa and as a Tasting Room Associate at Ridge Vineyards in Healdsburg before joining Seghesio as a Marketing Assistant in January 2011. She was later promoted to her current role following the winery's sale to Crimson.
Brandye recently started Sonoma State University's Wine-Intensive Executive MBA program in Napa to build her leadership and business background with an aim to eventually achieve a senior-level sales and marketing position. Like Donn Reisen, she also hopes to make a larger contribution to the wine industry as an ambassador and advocate for Zinfandel, Sonoma County and the industry itself. Download hi-res version
Rachel Kau-Tayler, Pigs & Pinot Scholarship
Rachel will be starting the Wine MBA program this summer. After working in winery tasting rooms and wine retail sales for a number of years, Rachel decided to go back to school because she believes that Americans should drink wine every day. She's interested in market research; particularly large chain wine buying. She is passionate about introducing people to wine that pairs with Chinese take-out as well as suggesting a wine that will go with foie gras.
The Pigs & Pinot Scholarship will allow Rachel to take more risks with her career. She wants to be able to position herself after graduation with a wine job that is both dynamic and exciting. With a scholarship like this, Rachel will be able to accept positions without worrying about how she's going to pay for tuition. Download hi-res version
Lacey Madrigal, Pigs & Pinot Scholarship
Growing up in the Napa Valley, Lacey has always thought that she'd move to a more exciting place as soon as she was given the opportunity. Now, at the age of 27, she feels so fortunate to live in such a beautiful and thriving location, with no shortage of great food and amazing wines.
With the help of the Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State University, Lacey will be able to put her education to use in working in this great wine growing region. After graduation, she plans to move into the marketing and PR side of the wine industry. Once she gains some hands-on experience, Lacey would love to come back to school to receive her MBA from Sonoma State. She hopes to one day work in international marketing with an internationally-branded wine company where she is able to travel to other wine-growing regions of the world.
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Jenna Riggan, Women for WineSense Scholarship
Born and raised in Granite Bay, California, Jenna grew up visiting the beautiful wine country with my family. Her love of the wine culture is what led her to Sonoma State University, where she is currently pursuing a degree in Wine Business Strategies as well as a degree in French. She'll be graduating in the fall, and plans to begin a career in international wine business.
Jenna is honored to have been selected for the Women for WineSense Scholarship. This scholarship will support her studies and help her achieve her dream of pursuing a successful career in the wine industry.
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