Anna deLaski co-founded Solminer Wine Co. with her husband, David, in 2012. At their 12-acre biodynamic farm in Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley, they grow five acres of primarily Austrian grape varieties—an homage to Anna’s heritage. On their land you can also find olive, apple, and pear trees, native hedgerows as well as sheep, donkeys, chickens, and bees, all integrated into the farm’s ecosystem. Producing just under 2,000 cases annually, Solminer focuses on quality-driven, small-lot wines sold primarily through their Los Olivos tasting room. Anna and David share a core belief that vineyards thrive when the land is treated as a living, interconnected system.
Under Anna’s leadership, Solminer has evolved from organic farming to fully embracing biodynamic and regenerative practices that build soil health and strengthen ecological balance. Today, Solminer serves as a model for how small producers can transition to regenerative systems without compromising craftsmanship or financial sustainability.
Terry L. Stanley (T.L. Stanley) is a Los Angeles–based journalist whose work appears in Muse by Clios, following a long tenure as a senior editor at Adweek. She covers consumer trends, brand innovation, beverage, plant-based/natural foods and cannabis categories, as well as much of the creative work shaping modern marketing.
Her reporting has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Mashable, and AdAge. As a speaker and moderator, she offers clear, incisive insights on culture, storytelling, and the evolving relationship between brands and consumers.
Ross Anderson is Vice President of Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) at Jackson Family Wines, where he oversees the company’s DTC channel strategy, including wine-club growth, tasting-room operations, customer-experience activation, and digital retail performance. His role leverages a deep background in wine retail-and-e-commerce to drive consumer engagement and revenue across Jackson Family’s premium portfolio.
With a career spanning across DTC, hospitality, and digital commerce, Ross brings expertise in scaling premium consumer-centric businesses and aligning brand experience with direct-sales growth. Based in St. Helena, California, he works across Jackson Family Wines’ estate network to integrate consumer insights, hospitality innovation and operational best practices to elevate the company’s wine-club and experience portfolio.
Eric Asimov is the chief wine critic of The New York Times and the author of “How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto,’’ published by William Morrow, and “Wine With Food: Pairing Notes and Recipes From The New York Times,’’ written with recipes by Florence Fabricant and published by Rizzoli.
His column appears in the Food section of The Times. A collection of his columns is included in “The New York Times Book of Wine,’’ published by Sterling Epicure.
He is on social media, @EricAsimov.
Raised in Nebraska with deep ties to family farming, Andrew Heilbrun developed his land stewardship ethos early—shaped by childhood visits to corn and cattle farms and a strong work ethic instilled by his father. After nearly a decade managing vineyards at J. Lohr and working alongside industry mentors like Steve Carter and Jeff Newton, Andrew began farming the Presqu’ile estate in 2018 through Coastal Vineyard Care. He officially joined the Presqu’ile team as Vineyard & Estate Manager in 2023, drawn to the estate’s diversity, long-term vision, and deeply rooted sense of place.
As Vineyard & Estate Manager, Andrew oversees all farming across the property—from the estate vines to the truffle orchard, culinary garden, grazing animals, and avocado groves. He views the entire estate as one living system, designing his approach around biodiversity, seasonal balance, and long-term sustainability. His philosophy blends organic, regenerative, and sustainable practices—prioritizing ecological harmony over strict labels. “Sustainability equals longevity,” he says. “We are part of the ecosystem too.”
Andrew works closely with the winemaking and culinary teams to create alignment across the vineyard, cellar, and kitchen, ensuring that the estate’s output reflects a shared commitment to place and purpose. His favorite season is harvest—“the most demanding, but also the most rewarding”—and he’s currently leading the planting of Presqu’ile’s new vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, a rare opportunity to shape a world-class site from the ground up.
With a deep respect for the precision of Pinot Noir and the expressive transparency of Syrah, Andrew brings both technical rigor and poetic sensibility to his role. When not farming, he can often be found camping, fishing, or sharing a good meal and bottle of wine with family and friends.
Courtney O’Brien is a strategic brand leader behind some of the most successful beverage brands in the world. She built Apothic into a $100M+ wine powerhouse, led the U.S. launch and repositioning of Coke Zero into a $1B+ megabrand, and spearheaded Evian’s marketing strategy in one of the most competitive beverage categories.
As founder of The Outlier Initiative, she helps ambitious beverage brands break through the noise, claim their space, and engineer demand – using the same proven strategies that built billion-dollar brands, without the Fortune 500 budget.
Jess Druey is a trailblazing entrepreneur, tastemaker, and the creative force behind Whiny Baby — the California-sourced wine brand rewriting the rules for a new generation of drinkers. Born and raised in Bakersfield, CA, with deep agricultural roots, Jess brings a fresh perspective on the journey from vine to glass. At 22, a simple task — buying wine for a first date — left her overwhelmed and uninspired in the aisle. That moment sparked the idea for Whiny Baby, which she self-launched at 24 with no industry connections. Her bold packaging, interactive design, and authentic storytelling quickly went viral on TikTok, turning Whiny Baby into a movement.
By 26, Jess partnered with the McBride Sisters Wine Company, bringing Whiny Baby into national retailers like Target, Total Wine, and BevMo. Now at 28, Whiny Baby is the only nationally distributed wine brand founded and owned by a Gen Zer — embraced as the gateway wine for a new generation of drinkers. Recognized by Essence Magazine and DTC Newsletter and winner of Gordon Ramsay and Lisa Vanderpump’s Food Stars, Jess has emerged as one of the youngest leaders shaping the industry.
As Founder & Head of Whiny Baby and Emerging Consumer Innovation Consultant with GALLO, Jess continues her mission to welcome the next generation into wine — blending her agricultural roots with a pulse on emerging winemaking practices, packaging trends, and consumer innovation to make wine approachable, expressive, and fun.
Justin Rapolas leads marketing and branding at Aaron Wines, a 23+ year old winery located in Tin City, Paso Robles. With nearly a decade of experience in the wine industry, Justin focuses on utilizing innovative strategies to personalize the consumer experience across all channels. His work combines data-driven insight with authentic storytelling to bring the winery’s personality to life at every point of communication—from email and digital marketing to events and in-person experiences. At Aaron Wines, he helps ensure every interaction feels intentional, connected, and true to the winery’s long-standing Central Coast roots.
Molly has successfully built her career in wine while driving the development of JUSTIN’s vineyards and premium wine brand. When she first joined the team in 2011, her role was specialized in research trials and certifying JUSTIN’s vineyards as sustainable. Fourteen years later, she is honored to be JUSTIN’s Sr. Director of Grower & Community Relations, overseeing all grape sourcing for JUSTIN in addition to the Company’s other brands: Landmark and Lewis. As an integral piece of JUSTIN’s winemaking team, she has established relationships within the wine industry which are incredibly special to her and the winery. Molly also steers the wine brand’s philanthropic efforts, giving back to the community where our employees live and work. Overseeing the Wines Community Grants program in three wine country regions (Paso Robles, Sonoma and Napa) supporting local non-profits and schools. Serving on the Board for the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (8 years), Board Director for California Assoc. of Winegrape Growers (4 years), Board Chair for the Cal Poly Wine & Viticulture Department (2 years) and volunteering her time towards fundraising for scholarships for children of vineyard workers, her favorite time of the day is spent catching up with her two young boys and husband playing in their backyard in Templeton.
Shilah Salmon is Senior Vice President of Marketing at TheDuckhorn Portfolio, overseeing the luxury brands including Duckhorn Vineyards, Goldeneye, Calera and Kosta Browne. With 14 years of prior leadership roles at Jackson Family Wines, a global wine company head quartered in Sonoma County and nearly 20 years total in the wine industry, her career spans domestic and international marketing roles—including managing a 40-winery portfolio in 60 countries for Constellation Brands and serving as Global Brand Manager for Robert Mondavi Winery.
At Jackson Family Wines she oversaw brand strategy, creative development, the research and insights department and trade marketing across their luxury to everyday wine portfolio focused on La Crema and Kendall-Jackson, and in the past on such luxury wineries as Brewer-Clifton, Siduri, Cardinale, Lokoya & Freemark Abbey in Napa Valley. Her academic credentials include undergraduate work in Psychology and Women’s Studies at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a business program at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She has completed wine studies at UC Davis and the Wine& Spirits Education Trust Advanced Certification program.
