Owner, winemaker and farmer, artist and chemist, number cruncher, marketing maestro, and head fiddle-talker; Kathy thrives on a busy schedule. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, before pursuing graduate studies in enology at the University of California, Davis. Prior to starting Fiddlehead Cellars in 1989, Kathy was employed by several North Coast wineries including Simi Winery (1981) (learning PR stuff and tasting with Zelma Long), Joseph Phelps Winery (1982) (learning about pumps, forklifts, dump trucks, and the art of wine blending under the tutelage of Walter Schug and Craig Williams), Long Vineyards (1983) (learning about viticulture and small winery details from Bob and Zelma Long) and Robert Pecota Winery (1984-1988) (learning the biz from top to bottom). Kathy’s winemaking focus is on crafting wines that speak to the place of the wines, all with gorgeous, elegant flavors and sexy, silky textures. When she’s not in the cellar encouraging each barrel to its optimal perfection, in the market gaining new devotees, or wrangling a spreadsheet at her Davis office – she is enthusiastically having a conversation with the vines at her Fiddlestix Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills.

Read the Ten Things Kathy Can’t Live Without.

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How could a guy who started his appreciation of wine at the tender age of six, and who spent his 21st birthday touring the Russian River Valley instead of hitting a bar not work at Fiddlehead? Perhaps his European Mom/Novelist Dad upbringing had something to do with this, along with Terence Livingston’s wild and wonderful sense of humor, but “T-Bone” fits right in here at FiddleHeadquarters. (there is a barroom story in that nickname though!). Terence began his professional career in 1993 at Chateau Potelle on Mt. Veeder, then onto Cline Cellars and Beckmen Vineyards. Six years on the Distributor/Broker side of the fence gives him a unique perspective when working with our Fiddlehead trade partners. Other than wine (what??), Terence’s passions include tennis (he teaches!), hockey, baseball and BBQ.

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If you’re wondering who is so cordial on the other end of the phone at “Fiddlehead North”, meet Natalie, our Office Manager. She’d be happy to converse in either English or Spanish, having graduated from UC Davis with double degrees in Communications and Spanish. She’s always put her height to good use with active involvement in volleyball clubs and programs, and hence her interest in sports marketing and promotion. Natalie currently coaches the UC Davis men’s volleyball club, loves to travel, and her interest in sports rivals her passion for fine wine. But Natalie is not limited to just managing the office. She manages our events, pours at tastings, handles special orders, and she’s your best bet to tracking down Kathy. Natalie joins the FiddleChix with enthusiasm, creative ideas, and a lust for new challenges.

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How exciting it must have been to grow up in West Berlin and later in life have the opportunity to spend three years in Italy studying Art History. Meet Lora Riccomini, who has landed back in Sacramento. After three years of working up through the ranks in retail management, Lora craved a new challenge. Little did she know she would stumble upon Fiddlehead! Lora fits right into the Fiddlehead mold: she loves to cook, she’s a whiz at packing wine boxes in 3-inch red-hot heels, and she loves to travel. Besides managing massive spreadsheets and discovering the occasional mathematical error that occurs in our fast-paced office, Lora also fields exotic questions from inquisitive customers and uses her internet savvy to create professional looking marketing materials. After her day at Fiddlehead, Lora enjoys the company of her three cats (Derby, Trixy, and Max), gets a work-out by swing dancing, and loves to root for the underdog in a lively boxing match. Once again, Fiddlehead has attracted another FiddleChik with diverse talents and colorful interests!

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Meet Stacey, our invaluable, indispensible, loved-by-all Davis office troubleshooter and problem solver! Stacey admits she likes numbers and, with ease, she oils the squeaky wheel. In addition to managing our more complicated projects she also handles payroll, tax issues, inventory and banking. But perhaps most importantly, she is the Fiddlehead voice of reason. It must be Stacey’s wide range of experience that makes her so good at what she does. Before landing in Davis, she was a world traveler living in places all over the map including England, Italy, Hawaii, Alaska, Idaho, Colorado, Texas and Georgia. Prior to joining our team she worked in financial/litigation consulting, as a hotel front desk operator, for Talbot Ties, for the local public library and as a board member for various PTA’s. And it doesn’t end there! Between jobs, Stacey is a domestic goddess to her husband, two teenage daughters and Jazzy, her adorable 4 year old Havanese dog – charming them with her cooking, sewing, knitting and gardening talents. And as if that isn’t enough, Stacey maintains an active lifestyle -- after having reached the summit of Mt. Whitney in 2006, Stacey knows she can tackle any Fiddlehead challenge! No doubt, Stacey keeps us all very happy here at Fiddlehead.

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Each wine released to Wine Club members from Fiddlehead includes a perfectly paired, mouth-watering, extraordinarily interesting recipe. These hail from the incredibly talented Babette of “Babette’s Kitchen”, also known as “Kathy’s Mom”.

Her degree is in Home Economics, she has taught interior design, done recipe development for internationally distributed food companies, she throws a great party, and is a wizard in the kitchen. She is truly a CBC (Chef Beyond Compare), and occasionally utilizes the sous chef assistance of Kathy’s dad, Burton. During those long days and nights of harvest, it is a welcome relief to the FiddleCrew to hear that Babette and Burt are coming to town.

There is no doubt that Kathy’s sense of “nose” is genetic!

Come harvest time, we call in the bench! We’re very lucky at Fiddlehead to have a tremendous support group, with spouses, relatives, colleagues and friends old and new helping out. Special mention must go to the Fiddlehead spouses who lose their wives and husbands for the two months of harvest, arriving at the winery on weekends and evenings with a cold beer, a hot meal and a helping hand. We “press” friends into service with our enthusiasm over the joy of winemaking – perhaps not realizing that being covered in sticky winegrape juice is not as romantic to them as to us!

The uber talented Coastal Vineyard Care team makes sure we have perfect clusters of grapes from our Fiddlestix Vineyard as well as our contracted acres of Sauvignon Blanc in the eastern part of the Santa Ynez Valley. And our vineyard crew, led by our talented foreman Rafael, not only look after each and every vine with care and attention, but also help out in the cellar whenever we need them with a smile and a song. We truly do have a big Fiddle Family – couldn’t do it without them all. Cheers to them!