With far fewer than 50% of Napa Valley wineries having female winemakers, we are incredibly fortunate to have Alison as our rock-star winemaker. Our Director Jennifer Brown and Winemaker Alison Frichtl Hollister came together to create wine that is nuanced, honest, current and fun. We are all about getting outside and making the most of each moment.
Jennifer Brown leads brand development, marketing strategies, and operational plans, as well as spearheads direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels. Prior to working at HALL & WALT, Jennifer was the founder of Omghow / Girl Karma Inc., a social platform and positive destination for teen girls. “At BACA, we have women in leadership positions across all parts of the company, including myself as the Director of BACA and Alison Frichtl Hollister, as our Winemaker. Women have touched every aspect of our wine—from the women in the fields who help pick the grapes to our Creative Manager Christy Logan, who designed our wine label. We know that having women and men at our winery increases diversity of thought and creates a better product. For example, I have often thought that women taste wine differently than men do, so having both Alison and Steve Leveque, our VP of Winemaking, in the winemaking process results in better wine.” says Jennifer Brown.
Jennifer grew up in the wine industry. Some of her fondest childhood memories are skipping through her family’s Zinfandel vineyards in Redwood Valley with her brother. As a little girl, she would pick out stones from the vineyards to inspire her mother, Vintner Kathryn Hall, to choose a background for their family’s original WALT labels. “On a personal note, I grew up with a strong female role model, who showed me what it means to be a woman who knows her power. My mother, Kathryn Hall, has been a trailblazer in male-dominated industries. She was one of only a few women in her law school class; she was an ambassador to Austria, when most of her predecessors and employees were men; she is a vintner when most in the wine industry are men. I feel very proud to be a female leader and to work with so many smart, capable women and men.” says Jennifer.
We are raising our glasses to the strong women who surround us in all aspects of life.
