Meet Ana, the Winemaker

NOTE: This episode was recorded in early 2018

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In today’s episode, we chat with Ana Diogo-Draper, of Artesa Winery, based in Napa, California. Growing up in Portugal, Ana often spent time in the Alentejo, where her dad’s family is from, although her family was not in the wine business. It wasn’t until Ana took a course at the University of Évora, with famed Portuguese wine-maker Paulo Laureano, that she decided wine was going to be her career. His and Ana’s biggest piece of advice about breaking into the wine industry is working a harvest to figure out if it really is a passion. Ana interned in Napa before taking a full-time position and moving to the U.S. to make wine. Opportunities for women in this male-dominated industry were more limited in Portugal. Things are slowly changing…

Ana currently experiments with Iberian varietals, to which she brings a European twist. She often travels to Portugal and we chat about the current boom in Portuguese wines. She often attends and hosts wine events but has yet to host a Portuguese wine and food pairing class. We’ll be working on that next. ;)

To learn more about Portuguese wines, visit the Wines of Portugal website: http://www.winesofportugal.info

Plan a visit to Artesa Winery: https://www.artesawinery.com and tell Ana hello!

If you have any questions for Ana, e-mail us at [email protected] and we’d be happy to connect you.

Até a próxima!