Rabbit Ridge Adds Two To Winemaking Team

WINERY NEWS RELEASE

Rabbit Ridge Winery has added two new members to its winemaking team.

Sarah Fleming, daughter of owner Joanne Russell, joins the family business after graduating summa cum laude with honors in economics this May from University of the South, in Sewanee Tennessee.

Sarah will join Joanne in handling the winery compliance, government compliance, direct to consumer sales, wine club, and winery accounting.

Additionally, Sarah will work beside Erich and Brice in the winery doing cellar work. Sarah worked at the winery last summer when she began to learn the business.  Sarah will also serve as Tasting Room Manager; you will find her there most weekends continuing to give a family feel to the winery. In fact, on a good many weekends you will find the entire family there.

The second addition is Brice Garrett, Sarah’s boyfriend from college, who also graduated from the University of the South in May.  Brice interned last summer at Rabbit Ridge.

Brice will work with Erich Russell, the winery’s founder and Winemaker since 1981, as his cellar master and assist in all day to day winemaking, while learning the techniques that have been used for 34 years by Erich- The only winemaker.

Having only one winemaker is something few wineries can say.  Brice will also serve as the winery social media director and help create new and exciting sales and marketing materials.  Erich and Joanne say “it is great to have the new generation aboard and to continue the family business, as well as give Sarah and Brice a chance to create their own legacy.”
Rabbit Ridge started making and selling wine in 1981 and to date has sold over 3 million cases of wine.  Rabbit Ridge has the rare honor of having had three different wines on the highly touted Wine Spectator’s top 100 wines in the world list. Today we have over 325 acres of planted vineyard on the Westside of Paso Robles located in three of Paso Robles 11 Viticulture districts.

It also is one of the largest wineries on the West side of Paso Robles.

In addition to the tasting room at the winery, we now have a tasting room in downtown Paso Robles called the Rabbit Hole, which features sparkling wines and artist series wines as well as a few Rabbit Ridge wines. Visit us at rabbitridgewinery.com.