![]() That restaurant would go on to earn Michelin stars and global recognition before closing in 2014. Noticing the lack of fine dining options in the valley, Rodeno worked with the Napa County council to get the zoning and permits to open up Étoile, which many give credit with launching the Napa Valley food-scene. To counter the higher excise tax on sparkling wine, Chandon also was the first to introduce tasting fees to winery visitors. Rodeno and Domaine Chandon steered the focus back to regular consumers with an emphasis on the tasting room experience, a direct-to-consumer newsletter and establishing the first wine club in the US, Club Chandon. Her solutions, which she developed over a 15-year career at Chandon, introduced many innovations to Napa Valley.īack then, wineries often viewed restaurants and retailers as their main customers. While building Domaine Chandon from the ground-up with John Wright, Rodeno had to tackle many winery start-up problems. The owners of Moët & Chandon were very hands-off in the early years of Domaine Chandon, giving Wright and Rodeno almost free reign to build the brand as they saw fit. ![]() That day Michaela Rodeno became employee number two at what would become Domaine Chandon. ![]() Veeder home of John Wright, the man tasked by Moët to head the project, offering her services. Armed with nothing but her French language degree and a whole lot of moxie, she drove up to the Mt. This was the first significant investment in California by a major French winery and Michaela was intrigued. Michaela found a job at Beaulieu Vineyard, becoming the first woman to serve as a tour guide at the historic winery.Ī short time later, she noticed a newspaper article about a new California project by Moët & Chandon. A lawyer, Greg followed the advice of friends that there was lots of legal work to be had in the burgeoning valley. The First of Many FirstsĪ UC-Davis grad, Michaela Kane Rodeno moved to Napa Valley with her husband, Greg, in 1972. Supéry, but Rodeno sprinkles throughout compelling tidbits about what it means to be a leader and trusting your own abilities. Not only is it a great read full of fun stories about the early days of Domaine Chandon and St. Rodeno gifted us a copy, but I very enthusiastically recommend the book to any wine lover–as well as lovers of books about kick-ass women. If you’re in the mood for a fun summer-time read, I highly recommend Michaela Rodeno’s memoir.įrom Bubbles to Boardrooms is the title of Rodeno’s book that is part biography and part primer for the fortitude that one needs to make their own opportunities happen. And that’s certainly worth raising a glass. Whether it’s building three (!) wineries from scratch or being on the cutting edge of technology, it takes a lot of gumption to do what they do. Rather than take the easy road, the easy life, they embrace the challenges that come with forging your own path. These are folks that don’t want to settle but, instead, want to see what more is possible. As I learned more of Rodeno’s story, I began to understand the fire that drives people like my wife and Michaela. That is a sentiment that Michaela Rodeno of Villa Ragazzi knows very well. It takes a lot of nerve to set aside the doubts in your head to pursue what ignites your heart. That’s why we found ourselves uprooting our lives and moving 5000 miles away from her cozy job at Google to a new start-up in France. Still, the excitement of building things from the ground up and being part of something innovative keeps luring her back. In her long career, my wife is 0 for 3 following that tune. Being in love with a techie, you’re never far from the siren song of start-ups.
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