"Jaime Rojas was 44 the first time he tasted wine made from grapes he grew himself. The wine - a Pinot Noir 2016 - came from Bravo Toro, the small vineyard at his home in Santa Rosa. Nearly 30 years had passed since he first stepped into Napa Valley vineyards as a teenager, pruning and grafting for wineries that would bottle the fruit he helped grow - wines he never had the chance to enjoy."
"Today, Rojas, 52, and his wife, Jana Rojas, 40, run a vineyard management company serving Sonoma, Napa and Oregon. They also own a small label featuring Russian River Valley varietals, grown and crafted on the land he once only dreamed of owning. His path remains rare in Wine Country, where Latino workers make up much of the vineyard workforce but few winery owners. The Mexican American Vintners Association counts just 18 Latino-owned wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties."
Jaime Rojas first tasted wine made from grapes he grew at age 44, a 2016 Pinot Noir from Bravo Toro in Santa Rosa. He spent nearly 30 years working in Napa Valley vineyards as a teenager, pruning and grafting for wineries whose fruit he helped grow. Rojas and his wife, Jana, now run a vineyard management company serving Sonoma, Napa and Oregon and operate a small Russian River Valley label produced on land he once dreamed of owning. Latino workers constitute much of the vineyard workforce in Wine Country, yet Latino-owned wineries remain uncommon. The Mexican American Vintners Association counts 18 Latino-owned wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties, while the two counties host more than 800 physical wineries, and industry observers note ongoing diversity and representation barriers for wineries emerging from field workers.
Read at The Mercury News
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