Jeff Stai
USA
Geek turned winemaker in the heart of gold country
- Jeff is a self-taught geek who has won so many shiny gold medals, his trophy rack might trigger a second gold rush.
- He left his tech industry job to make wine over 10 years ago and he says the hardest part of making wine is paying the bills. That's where the Angels come in.
- With Angel funding, Jeff's able to get the best grapes in the Sierra Foothills and explore the full potential of this exciting region of California.
Jeff Stai's Story
Jeff Stai's Story
"I’m a total geek who decided that doing one thing my whole life had gotten kind of dull, so I bagged it all and got into the wine business – which I can assure you is plenty more exciting!
I found wine fairly early in my drinking life. When most teens were drinking cheap canned beer, I was preferring something like a Petite Sirah. Not that I don’t like a good beer… Anyway, in my geek career I met several colleagues who had an involvement in the wine business outside of their career, and it rubbed off on me.
Every day I wake up in the prettiest country in the world – we are located only a two hour drive from Yosemite Valley, to put it in perspective. In my teens I first visited the Sierra Nevada mountains and fell in love with the granite peaks and icy lakes of the high country – but I also fell in love with the oaks and rolling hills of the foothills. I made it my goal to someday be able to live in those foothills and live close to the high country.
Our part of the Foothills produces some delicious wines based on Mediterranean varietals. Since what we do is all about Spanish and Rhône varieties, we decided to try some new blends with those varieties for our Angels."
