March is both women’s history month and the start of spring with two of the talented women who both make our wine and care for our vineyards.
Meet Heidi
Dough Winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen brings a solid scientific background to her winemaking, having first earned a B.S. degree in biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder. After college, she explored local wines in Europe, before returning to the US to establish a strong understanding of winemaking.
Eager to gain a more international understanding of winemaking, Heidi traveled to New Zealand (remember when we used to travel?) before the call of family and opportunities brought her back to the US. Since 2011, Heidi has worked at MacRostie, a part of the Distinguished Vineyard & Wine Partners portfolio. Heidi was named MacRostie’s winemaker before the age of 30, and is just the third winemaker in the winery’s storied three-decade history.
All of that tells you that Heidi is a both a talented and well-traveled winemaker. But we wanted to share a little bit about Heidi beyond the bio, so we asked her a couple of questions:
Favorite spring food and wine pairing?
I love a Spring Panzanella that is more herbaceous and uses the abundance of Meyers lemons found EVERYWHERE in Sonoma County. Pair it with the Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay for an easy match – use a more pungent or robust cheese in the salad and you could pair it with the Pinot Noir.
Favorite way to celebrate spring ?
My favorite way to celebrate spring is to search for the “hidden” lakes that are scattered throughout the countryside of Sonoma County (where I live). The prolific rains of the winter and spring season create a vibrant green backdrop and these gorgeous “lakes” that do not exist once the summer dry season moves in. It is like living in an entirely different world this time of year and nothing brings me more joy than to take a drive or a hike that showcases these “hidden lakes”.
How do you drive support of women’s empowerment & equality in the industry?
The main way I support of women’s empowerment and equality is by being an advocate, supporter and mentor. I make an effort to be a resource and guide for women pursuing a career in wine. I am involved with Women of the Vine and Spirits and support other women based groups and causes such as the YMCA Women, Wine and Cheese.
Who is the female inspiration in your life?
There is not just one particular female inspiration, but I find inspiration from all the women in my life. I love the multi-faceted nature of females and appreciate the diverse tasks and roles they are asked to play. Every female has a different approach and style to enjoying life and supporting others. The fact that in societies’ patriarchal structure that they have to constantly prove themselves and stand up to be heard and earn equally to males makes females that much more fascinating and inspirational. My mother, my sister, my girlfriends, my mother-daughter farming team growers, my female colleagues, my “Sonoma County Moms” support group. You are all an inspiration.
Meet Adrienne
Adrienne Uboldi is Vineyard & Sustainability Manager for Distinguished Vineyard & Wine Partners. What does that mean? It means that she takes the lead on all viticulture operations, which includes the quality production of grapes, overseeing the tasks assigned to staff and ensuring that our grapes and fields will be healthy for generations to come. She says, “The most rewarding part of what I do is being able to see the full growing season from pruning to bud break through harvest.” For Dough, that means that she oversees some of the vineyards that provide our grapes, but also oversees general practices for grape growing.
You will not be surprised to know that Adrienne is a big fan of spending time outdoors. A bit more about her:
Favorite spring food and wine pairing?
Oysters and bubbles. Really anything with seafood or bubbles I’m down with.
Favorite way to celebrate spring?
Baseball season, backyard projects, and gardening.
Who is the female inspiration in your life?
It is kind of cliche to say my mom, but my mom. She had a degree in botany and without her love of plants and nature and example of a woman in the sciences, I would never have gone in this direction. These days, I take great pleasure in passing down this love of nature and science to my daughter, with lots of outdoor and gardening projects to complement her zoom classes!
Explore more about the women we are honoring this month on our social media pages, Instagram and Facebook. And perhaps join us in raising a glass of Brut or Chardonnay to cheers the women that make dough wines possible!