Me with a bottle of 2019 Matt Parish Louie’s Block Old Vine Zinfandel in Louie’s Block
Photo Credit: Luiz da Silva
I am delighted to share my contribution to the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association’s FWT Magazine story, “Travel Writers share local wines and wineries” featuring the 2019 Matt Parish Wines Louie’s Block Old Vine Zinfandel, Del Barba Vineyard, Contra Costa County.
*CLICK HERE TO READ*
Photo Credit: Matt Parish
June 2021 — Matt Parish is delighted to announce Matteo Fecondo to the position of Consultant and Assistant Winemaker for Vinture Consulting and Matt Parish Wines.
Matteo is a native of Ospedaletti, a small town on the seashore of Liguria, Italy. After spending 10 years working in hospitality, he enrolled and graduated in winemaking and viticulture from the University of Milan. Matteo’s first international harvest was in New Zealand, followed by successive vintages in Monferrato, Clare Valley, and Napa Valley before joining Matt Parish for the challenging 2020 California harvest.
“Anyone who can come through the 2020 harvest with a passion for more has got to be good, and Matteo, despite the challenges, was a superstar, so I’m thrilled he is part of the team, he is going to be a big help as we grow.”
“I’ve been dreaming of living and working in California since I was young. After working with Matt during the 2020 harvest, I am excited to join Vinture Consulting and Matt Parish Wines to work with this amazing portfolio of clients and wines,” said Matteo.
About Vinture Consulting
Vinture Consulting (https://www.vinture.com) is an international winemaking consultancy that works with owners, investors, and industry professionals to successfully establish, manage and grow small luxury brands through to large publicly listed wine portfolios. Clients are in California and other parts of the U.S., and internationally throughout Australasia and Europe.
About Matt Parish Wines
Matt Parish Wines (https://us.nakedwines.com/producers/matt-parish) launched in 2013 on the nakedwines.com platform, and today is one of the largest DTC brands in the U.S. with sales of over 100,000 cases. The portfolio includes wines from the Anderson, Sonoma, and Napa Valleys, El Dorado and Contra Costa Counties, as well as from Spain, Portugal, and France.
On this first anniversary of the day COVID-19 changed my life, I share my silver lining of 2020.
Friday, March 13, 2020, I was furloughed, then permanently laid off a couple of months later from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone due to the COVID-19 shutdown. I was the professional wine tutor for the Master’s Degree in Wine Management; Bachelor’s Degree Concentration in Advanced Wine, Beverage, and Hospitality, and the Associate Degree programs. It was a great part-time gig because my work at the CIA 20 hours per week supported my freelance writing.
I wrote a bio for a Naked Wines winemaker who subsequently referred me to another winemaker, Matt Parish, for writing assistance. I contacted Matt to find out what he needed. He saw my résumé and said, “You are overqualified for what I need, someone to reply daily to the Naked Wines customers who buy my wines.” I told him I was interested in assisting even if I was overqualified. We scheduled a phone interview for May 18, which was the day the CIA officially and permanently laid me off. During our call, I told him what happened. He said, “I don’t want you to make a decision today. Take a few days and let me know.”
A couple of days later, I emailed him to confirm interest. He interviewed me again via Zoom and we agreed to work together. He back paid me to May 18, the day I was laid off, even though I did not begin until a couple of weeks later. In that moment, I realized what a compassionate human he was, not just a winemaker and business person. Although he has 25+ years of wine business experience as a senior winemaker at Constellation, Treasury, Naked Wines, and Lula Cellars, he is a kind and generous person. In my mind, that sets him apart from many of his industry peers.
Matt and I have worked together ever since. Seven months ago, I began assisting him with communications and social media. Regardless of what the future holds, I will never forget what he did for me.
Read Matt’s story in my August 2020 feature for the Napa Valley Register, “Matt Parish: Balancing the art, science and business of winemaking.”
There are winemakers, then there is Matt Parish. The former director, officer, and chief winemaker at Constellation U.S., Treasury Wine Estates Americas, and NakedWines.com, Parish has come into his own with a professional life he describes as “a return to my hands-on winemaking, doing it myself instead of managing process and people.”
*CLICK HERE TO READ*
Elizabeth Smith 
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