Kathy Joseph Explained

Kathy Joseph
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, United States
Nationality:American
Alma Mater:University of California Davis
Occupation:Winemaker, entrepreneur, wine consultant
Known For:Fiddlehead Cellars

Kathy Joseph is a Californian winemaker and entrepreneur, founder of Fiddlehead Cellars in Santa Maria, California.[1] She is one of the first female winemakers to open her own winery in Santa Barbara County and her Fiddlehead Cellars is featured in the movie Sideways.[2] [3] [4]

Education and career

Originally from the Chicago area, Joseph received a Bachelor of Science degree in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.[5] She then moved to California in the late 1970s to begin a career in the wine industry.[6] After working in several wineries, she attended graduate school in Enology at the University of California, Davis. After graduation in 1984, she spent five years at Robert Pecota Winery as Head Winemaker.

In 1989, Joseph opened her own winery, Fiddlehead Cellars in Lompoc, California.[7] This was an unusual place to open a winery at the time, and Joseph was a pioneer as both a female winemaker and on account of her location choice. She focused on the then lesser-appreciated varieties of wine - Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Fiddlehead[8] celebrated its 25rd vintage in 2013 and is distributed among restaurants and through a wine club.[9] Her wine has won various awards, to include San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Wines in 1999, 2000, and 2001.[10] [11] [12]

Joseph has taught classes at Napa Valley College and UC Davis,[13] and her Fiddlestix wine was featured in a scene in the movie Sideways.[14]

Notes and References

  1. News: Women chefs at 'Festa' in a league of their own. Parente. Michele. sandiegouniontribune.com. 2017-10-23. en-US.
  2. Book: Heimoff, Steve. New Classic Winemakers of California: Conversations with Steve Heimoff. 2008. University of California Press. 9780520247222. en.
  3. Book: Griest, Stephanie Elizondo. 100 Places Every Woman Should Go. 2009-05-01. Travelers' Tales. 9781932361773. en.
  4. Web site: Fiddlehead Cellars - in the movies. www.fiddleheadcellars.com. 2017-10-23.
  5. News: Kathy Joseph - SIP Certified. SIP Certified. 2017-10-23. en-US. 2017-10-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20171023121656/http://www.sipcertified.org/producers/kathy-joseph/. dead.
  6. Web site: Women Winemakers of California Kathy Joseph. webpages.scu.edu. 2017-10-23.
  7. News: The Number of Women Winemakers Is Growing, and Fast Wine Enthusiast Magazine. 2016-03-17. Wine Enthusiast Magazine. 2017-10-23. en-US.
  8. Web site: Harvesting Grapes and Glee at Fiddlehead Cellars. www.independent.com. 18 September 2013 . en. 2017-10-23.
  9. Web site: Sip and Savor: The 2017 World of Pinot Noir draws Central Coast Vintners - Paso Robles Daily News. pasoroblesdailynews.com. 15 March 2017 . en-US. 2017-10-23.
  10. News: TOP 100 WINES: WHITE. SFGate. 2017-10-23.
  11. News: THE CHRONICLE'S TOP 100 WINES FOR 2000. SFGate. 2017-10-23.
  12. News: THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE'S 2001 TOP 100 WINES. SFGate. 2017-10-23.
  13. News: Meet some of the Santa Barbara County women winemakers. Napa Valley Register. 2017-10-23. en.
  14. Web site: Women winemakers of Santa Barbara County celebrate International Women's Day Eats Santa Maria Sun, CA. www.santamariasun.com. 2017-10-23.