Sean M. Quinn
USA
His Winemaker Fantasy captured the imagination of thousands of Angels
Years Angel-funded: 2016-17
Sean Quinn won nakedwines.com's Winemaker Fantasy competition in 2016 – and the opportunity to make a Napa Valley Cabernet Franc to his precise spec!
- Sean currently works as a winemaker for Hannah Nicole Vineyards. He's also spent time in Napa working for big cellars like Viader, Tudal Winery, Pine Ridge and Chateau St. Jean!
- Hailing from Virginia, Sean's winemaking dreams led him on treks across the world, including harvests in Australia (working in McLaren Vale) before landing him in the Napa/Sonoma valleys
- Over the years, he's helped bottle hundreds of Cabernet Sauvignons (Napa's favorite varietal, hands down)...but his Winemaker Fantasy dreams focused on an even bigger red: Cabernet Franc. Or as he called it, "the big daddy!"
Sean M. Quinn's Story
Sean M. Quinn's Story
Sean's passion for winemaking started in Williamsburg, Virginia, when he met a winemaker during a restaurant tasting that would change his life – Straight after the event, Sean had the gumption to ask the viticulturist for a job... and never looked back.
"I come from 3,000 miles away, on the East Coast," said Sean, "in a place where working in the wine industry isn't even a conversation." But Sean made it into one.
Inspired to learn the most he could, hopping on as many planes for harvests as was humanly possible, Sean let his passions guide him– starting with a harvest spent in Australia's McLaren Vale, and eventually landing him in Sonoma, complete with 2 suitcases and a laptop. "When you want to do stuff, you kinda do whatever you have to," he explained.
Sean's decade in Sonoma has included production, hospitality, and industry experience with Bottlerock Napa Valley and the Napa Valley Film Festival, as well as with the winemaking teams of Tudal Winery, Venge, Page Wine Cellars, Boeshen, Pine Ridge and Chateau St. Jean. Currently, Sean is on the winemaking team for Viader Vineyards, responsible for all production aspects of the luxury Napa Valley winery.
One of the 2016 winners of Winemaker Fantasy, Sean is thrilled for the chance to make wines that connect with people across the country– maybe even someone 3,000 miles away, willing to pack up their suitcase and join in on the winemaking ride.