Advisory Board | Central Coast Insights

Anthony Bozzano

Principal/Sales Director, Bozzano & Company

Anthony Bozzano owns and manages Bozzano and Company, a Central Coast wine business specializing in bulk wine and grape sales and custom brand development. Prior to founding Bozzano and Co., Anthony worked in sales and marketing for a local winegrower, where he managed bulk wine and private label sales.

Anthony was raised in Stockton, CA., where he is still actively involved with his family’s farm. He is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a member of Class 43 of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation

Fintan du Fresne

CEO, WineMerch

Born and raised in New Zealand, Fintan (Fin) du Fresne has been making wine in California since 2001. His Degree in Geology, Postgraduate Degree in Viticulture and Enology and MBA in Wine Business give him a well-rounded academic background.

Originally a viticulturalist, Fin transitioned to winemaking during harvest in 2001 but retains his passion for the viticultural side of the business.

After stints in Martinborough and the Hawkes Bay (NZ), Calera and Adelaida Cellars (California) he was hired as head winemaker at Chamisal Vineyards in 2006. Following the acquisition of Chamisal by the Crimson Wine Group he was promoted to General Manager and Winemaker.

In 2022, Fin transitioned to GM at Phase 2 Cellars, managing 13,000 tons of custom crush.

In 2018, Fin saw a need for winery specific contracting services on the Central Coast and started Winemech. Since 2018, Winemech has grown to serve over 450 wineries between Temecula and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Winemech has service contracts with 4 of the largest winery equipment suppliers and numerous smaller suppliers. To support this rapid growth, Fin moved to managing Winemech full-time in June of 2024.

Fin is a current Vineyard Team Board member and past Board member for the World of Pinot Noir and SLO Coast Wine Collective. Fin is a strong supporter of the Cal Poly Wine and Viticulture program, assisting with their commercial wine production and scientific programs for a number of years.

Gregory Gonzalez

Director of Agriculture, The Thornhill Company

Gregory Gonzalez is the Director of Agriculture Operations for Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills and Carlyle Farming Company.

With 15 years of hands-on experience across California’s Central Coast and Central Valley, Gonzalez brings a wealth of viticultural expertise to his new role. Driven by a vision to not only preserve but also elevate Bien Nacido’s iconic reputation, Gonzalez is committed to bringing fresh ideas and a dedication to quality to continue enhancing the vineyard’s storied success for years to come.

Alison Laslett

CEO, Santa Barbara Vintners

As the CEO of the Santa Barbara Vintners, Alison Laslett works to promote and protect the Santa Barbara Wine Region. The region boasts over a hundred wineries, more than 350 labels, and 70+ varieties of wine. Since joining the organization in 2017, the region has doubled its retail sales, won the Wine Enthusiast Wine Start Award for Region of the in 2021, and Alison was named one of the Top Women in Business by the Pacific Coast Times, also in 2021.

Alison advocates for the region both locally and state-wide, working with tourism and lobbying partners to advance the reputation and rights of the industry. New to wine when she joined the Vintners, Alison previously spent time in both established nonprofits and start-ups, working with significant funders, including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

Now, she enjoys her new-found knowledge of wine, working with colleagues across the state to continue to help the region thrive.

Benoît Lecat

Department Head/Professor, Cal Poly/Enology Chair

Benoît LECAT is currently Head of the Wine and Viticulture Department at California Polytechnic State University in the USA. He was Professor of Marketing in the School of Wine and Spirits Business, ESC Dijon/Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France but also Visiting Professor in different universities including HEC Genève, HEC Lausanne and UNESCO Department in Inter-cultural and Inter-Religious Exchanges at the University of Bucharest. His research has focused on management of luxury goods, fine wines and spirits with a specific interest on price premium, price determinants, m-commerce, scarcity, terroir and tourism. He was co-organising with Joëlle Brouard the International Conference on Innovation & Trends in Wine Management (ITWM) held in Dijon. He is teaching courses relevant to the wine industry such as Global Wine and Viticulture, European Wine Tour and Wine Business Classes. Recently, with his team, he implemented the new Justin and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture and fundraised more than 25 million dollars to make the Center operational.

Cynthia Lohr

Co-owner & Chief Brand Officer, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Cynthia Lohr is a strategic marketing, communications, and branding professional with over 35 years of experience delivering measurable results that impact people, the planet, and profit for companies in the wine and technology industries and non-profits in the arts, the health and well-being of children and families and regional advocacy groups. As co-owner and Chief Brand Officer of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Cynthia collaborates with and oversees the company’s marketing and direct-to-consumer departments and is responsible for operational oversight with her fellow co-owners and executives, brothers Steve and Lawrence, and father, Founder Jerry Lohr.

Embracing a sustainability ethos and with a passion for climate justice, social equity, and servant leadership, Cynthia created the J. Lohr Touching Lives initiative in 2009 to help eradicate breast cancer in partnership with National Breast Cancer Foundation, IncÆ by donating three dollars from every bottle sold of her mother’s namesake wine, Carol’s Vineyard, to benefit early detection services for women in impoverished regions. Cynthia also co-founded the regional Bordeaux wine advocacy group the Paso Robles CAB Collective in 2012 and served as board vice president until 2020 and co-chairs J. Lohr’s DEI Committee. Before rejoining J. Lohr in 2002, Cynthia was VP at Alexander Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, serving B2B and B2C technology clients. She previously launched Yahoo!’s and led the company’s pre-IPO messaging, followed by the launch of Alexa Internet, leading the company through its acquisition by Amazon.com. Cynthia worked in education and business development before her time in technology, notably at PRx Strategic Marketing Communications, St. Mary’s College School of Extended Education, and the Oakland Unified School District.

Cynthia, a frequent speaker and moderator, has been featured at SF Climate Week, MKF Executive Wine Summit, Women of the Vine & Spirits, Unified Symposium, Kohler Food & Wine, and The Wine Institute, among other conferences. Cynthia was named a Wine Business Monthly 2023 Wine Industry Leader, a 2021 Woman of Impact by Silicon Valley Business Journal, and nominated for 2019 Wine Executive of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Cynthia serves as a board director for REACH Central Coast and J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines and in advisory board roles for Women of the Vine & Spirits, UC Davis College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, Central Coast Insights/WiVi and Net Positive. Cynthia is a graduate of UC Davis, holds a master’s in public administration from the Cornell University Brooks School of Public Policy, is a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha Global Honor Society, and is a Climatebase Fellow.

Molly Lonborg

Winemaker, Alta Colina

Molly Lonborg graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, with a B.S. in Earth Sciences and a concentration in Wine and Viticulture. After studying geology in New Zealand, she pursued winemaking, starting at Baileyana in Edna Valley and then Justin Winery in Paso Robles. Molly joined Halter Ranch in 2011, advancing to Associate Winemaker by 2018. In March 2020, she became the winemaker at Alta Colina in Paso Robles, known for its Rhône varietals. She also founded her own brand, Little Soul Wines, specializing in small-batch Rosé and Carbonic Pinot Noir. Molly lives in Paso Robles with her husband, Jordan, Vineyard Manager at Tablas Creek Vineyard, their children, Alma and Ziggy, and their dog, Desmond. She enjoys camping, hiking, traveling, and live music.

Nicholas Miller

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer & Executive Vice President, Miller Family Wine Company

Nicholas is EVP of the Miller Family Wine Company and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer. He represents the companies on several boards and associations, including director of the Wine Institute and the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association.
In 2022 Nicholas was recognized by The Wine Enthusiast as their Wine Executive of the Year for their Wine Star Awards.
As Chief Sales & Marketing Officer & Executive Vice President for Miller Family Wine Company, Miller has brought innovation, growth and strategic planning to his family’s multigenerational business, guiding the company through recent acquisitions, exclusive partnerships and exciting new brand launches. These significant contributions include co-supervising the acquisition of BNA Wine Group’s collection of wines, including the popular Butternut brand, which helped the organization gain a stronger foothold in the chain grocery channel. Miller has also been instrumental to the launches of such new brands as optik, established with esteemed winemaker Joey Tensley; Hand on Heart, a non-alcoholic wine collaboration with Iron Chef Cat Cora innovating the zero-ABV wine space; and Reciprocity, a recently launched label featuring wines exclusively sourced from the organic and sustainably-farmed French Camp Vineyard in Paso Robles, which represents the company’s key expansion into the organic wine space.

Maeve Pesquera

Senior Vice President, O’Neill Vintners & Distillers

Maeve Pesquera, is the executive vice president – luxury for O’Neill Vintners & Distillers. In her new role, she will provide strategic leadership and help continue development of the O’Neill luxury portfolio through acquisitions as well as the creation of new, innovative brands. A seasoned luxury brand executive with success and experience in creating and implementing brand, retail and culture strategy, Pesquera most recently served as senior vice president with DAOU Family Estates in Paso Robles, Calif. Active in several other organizations such as the Paso Robles CAB Collective, she’s also the district director, Central Coast for the Wine Institute.

Joel Peterson

Executive Director , Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance

An accomplished communications and marketing specialist and true people person, Joel Peterson has spent 20 years marketing wine and beer, and currently serves as the executive director of the PRWCA. The organization, made up of 200 wineries and 500 total businesses, leads marketing, outreach, and education efforts that promote and protect Paso Robles Wine Country.

After earning a degree from the University of Arizona, Peterson spent eight years in Hollywood working in film production. He joined the Paso wine community full time in 2003, working for several wineries including L’Aventure, JUSTIN, and Hope Family Wines. In 2013, Peterson joined Solterra Strategies, a wine-focused marketing and public relations agency, and later spent two years leading the marketing team at Firestone Walker Brewing Company. He joined the PRWCA in 2019. Peterson and his wife Dagny live in Paso Robles. He is active in the community and serves on the Paso Robles School Board.

Tim Snider

President, Fess Parker Winery

Tim Snider is the President of Fess Parker Winery in Los Olivos, CA and recently celebrated his 25^th anniversary with the winery. Tim has learned the wine business from the ground up; he began working summers on his family’s vineyard in Knights Valley, Sonoma County in the mid-1980’s and after graduating from Williams College in MA, he took a job with E&J Gallo in Northern California. Tim worked with Gallo for a little over seven years in a variety of roles from street-level sales to sales management and, ultimately, as a brand marketing manager. Since coming to Fess Parker Winery in 1999, Tim has been a leader in the winery’s development into one of the preeminent properties in Santa Barbara County.

Tim has been married to Ashley Parker Snider for 24 years and they have three grown children in Santa Barbara. Tim has served on many industry boards including two terms as president of Santa Barbara Vintners Association, the World of Pinot Noir advisory board and, currently, Visit Santa Barbara. Away from the wine business, Tim’s biggest interests are sports and music; he plays basketball and golf weekly, and is currently the drummer in a garage band (with Ashley on vocals).

Matt Steel

Director of Central Coast Winemaking, GALLO

Matt Steel brings his extensive knowledge of winemaking and business management experience to his job as Director of Central Coast Winemaking at GALLO. A native of Australia, he is well-versed in cool-climate grape varieties and right at home in the vineyards of the Central Coast, where he oversees winemaking at some of the most acclaimed brands in the GALLO portfolio: Talbott Vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands, Denner Wines & Vineyards in Paso Robles and The Language of Yes, a collaboration with Randall Grahm sourcing across the Central Coast.

“There are many parallels between California’s Central Coast and Australia’s coast, especially the great effects the maritime influence has on our grapes,” says Matt. “I want to incorporate this aspect into the wines in a way that is really expressive of the region.”

Matt’s interest in wine started as he worked alongside his father in the family wine shop. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science with a focus on Enology from the University of Adelaide in South Australia. He then built a strong foundation in winemaking as an apprentice at Petaluma Wines in Piccadilly. It was there that Matt developed his acute attention to detail in the vineyard and in the cellar.

Matt’s winemaking journey led him through the varied terrain of Victoria, specifically the vineyards of the famed Yarra Valley, Australia, where he served as Chief Winemaker for both still and sparkling wines at Domaine Chandon Australia. As the Winemaker and General Manager of Medhurst Wines, also in the Yarra Valley, Matt elevated the wine quality and built the winery’s reputation among wine connoisseurs. Prior to working at GALLO, Matt served as the General Manager at JUSTIN & Landmark Vineyards in Paso Robles.

Matt enjoys exploring the Central Coast through a variety of outdoor activities with his family and friends. He loves being a part of such an active community, where he can run, ride and hike in his spare time. Matt also loves cooking and making a mess in the kitchen while he experiments with flavors from all over the world.

Skylar Stuck

Director of Sales and Operations, Hearst Ranch Winery

Skylar Stuck is a proven expert in winery management, brand development and distribution strategy. A 33-year veteran in the industry, he is currently the Director of Sales and Operations at Hearst Ranch Winery. Before joining Hearst Ranch Winery last year, Stuck had senior management positions with Bonny Doone Vineyard, Halter Ranch Winery, and Hope Family Wines. Prior to moving to the Central Coast, he was an on-premise sales rep in New York City for The Winebow Group.

Born in Portland, Oregon, Skylar has lived in numerous places the past three decades including France, Italy, Washington, D.C., Dallas and New York City. He holds an MA in International Relations from The Johns Hopkins University, Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. Following a career as an economist, Skylar traded his vocation for his avocation and launched his career in the wine industry.

An active member the community, Skylar is on the Executive Board of the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo, where he manages the Winery Partner Program, a committee member of the Trade Committee for the PRWCA, and is a former Executive Board member of Must! Charities in Templeton.

Helena Welsh

Executive Director, Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association

Helena Welsh is the Executive Director of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association. Her experience as a multi-year wine judge for the San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition and the Sonoma County Harvest Wine Competition attributes to her journey with wine. Before working with Monterey County, she served as the Executive Director for the Lake County Winery Association. During her tenure in Lake County, Helena was awarded a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Central Coast Insights

The economic and financial conference for the Central Coast wine industry

Our hand-picked industry leaders who are experts in the business and financial issues facing the wine industry on the central coast and help shape our event content for the agenda.

Anthony Bozzano

Principal/Sales Director, Bozzano & Company

Fintan du Fresne

CEO, WineMerch

Gregory Gonzalez

Director of Agriculture, The Thornhill Company

Alison Laslett

CEO, Santa Barbara Vintners

Benoît Lecat

Department Head/Professor, Cal Poly/Enology Chair

Cynthia Lohr

Co-owner & Chief Brand Officer, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

Molly Lonborg

Winemaker, Alta Colina

Nicholas Miller

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer & Executive Vice President, Miller Family Wine Company

Maeve Pesquera

Senior Vice President, O’Neill Vintners & Distillers

Joel Peterson

Executive Director , Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance

Tim Snider

President, Fess Parker Winery

Matt Steel

Director of Central Coast Winemaking, GALLO

Skylar Stuck

Director of Sales and Operations, Hearst Ranch Winery

Helena Welsh

Executive Director, Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association