2/15/2002 - St. Helena, CA, - Dawnine Dyer, partner, Dyer Vineyard, has been elected president of the Board of Directors of Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), one of the most prominent positions in the wine industry.
Dyer assumes the reins from Margaret Duckhorn, the 2001 NVV president and executive vice president of sales and marketing for Duckhorn Vineyards.
Over the next year Dyer will lead the prestigious regional trade association board that represents 200 Napa Valley wineries in marketing and promotional activities throughout the world. The NVV sponsors the world's most successful charity wine event, the Napa Valley Wine Auction.
Dyer and her fellow vintners will also advocate on behalf of public policies that impact the Napa wine industry. She plans to take a proactive approach on a number of key issues facing the Napa Valley vintners and growers.
"This is a critical time for Napa Valley and vintners have significant opportunities to help define it's future. We want to preserve Napa Valley as a gem of nature for future generations," said Dyer. "To that end, I want to see us focus on programs that will fully utilize the talents of our membership. In process is a green certification program which will allow vineyard owners and managers to develop projects more effectively and responsibly, and vineyard assessment programs to create financial resources for seasonal farmworker housing and keeping Napa County free of the glassy-winged sharpshooter."
"Beyond the valley, the marketing efforts that expand the recognition of Napa Valley wines will include new and exciting programs with original research being conducted on factors affecting wine quality," says Dyer.
Dyer is a California native with a degree in biology from U.C. Santa Cruz. She began her wine industry career at Robert Mondavi Winery. In 1976 she was hired by Domaine Chandon, where she served as vice president/winemaker for 25 years. During that time she spent considerable time in France working with the winemaking team of Moet & Chandon. She was also involved in the 1986 founding of a sister winery in Australia's Yarra Valley and traveled frequently to Chandon's facility in Argentina.
In 1993 Dawnine and her husband, winemaker Bill Dyer, planted a small Cabernet vineyard in the prestigious Diamond Mountain District of the Napa Valley and began making wine from the estate vineyard in 1996. In 2000, she left Chandon to devote more time to Dyer Vineyard.
Also elected to year-long officer positions with the NVV and the Napa Valley Wine Auction (NVWA) boards are Vice President, NVV and NVWA, Clay Gregory, Robert Mondavi Winery; CFO, NVV, John Trefethen, Trefethen Vineyards; Secretary, NVV, Joel Aiken, Beaulieu Vineyard; Secretary, NVWA, Martha May, Community Board member; and Gary Gates, Frogs Leap, was reappointed CFO NVWA.
Also serving on the NVV board are Hugh Davies, Schramsberg Vineyards; Peter McCrea, Stony Hill Vineyard; Robert Pecota, Robert Pecota Winery; Bob Steinhauer, Beringer Vineyards; and W. Clarke Swanson, Jr., Swanson Vineyards. NVWA community board members include: Jennifer Baerwald, Kathleen Collins and Wes Walker.
The Napa Valley Vintners is a professional nonprofit trade organization representing 200 wineries in marketing and promotional activities throughout the United States and abroad.
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