Today we’d like to introduce you to Vincenta Faulkner.
Hi Vincenta, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My whole life my friends have called me Vin, which is one vowel away from translating to “wine” in Italian. I also happen to be Italian – or I’m at least in the process of getting my Italian citizenship. I also grew up in fairly close proximity to Napa, living the majority of my life in the Bay Area, where my wine-tasting trips started at the age of 21. So you could say for one or all these reasons, wine is in my DNA, and it’s obvious that I pursued a career in wine. Except I didn’t. I pursued a degree in food and nutrition science which lead me to work a decade in the hospital but since this is a story of destiny, That career choice did lead me to the wine bar where I met my Husband, Brian.
In 2011, Brian’s family collectively purchased a plot of land in Paso Robles with a dream to be able to pass something on to the generations to come. With expertise elsewhere, yet with the passion to succeed and the drive to be the best in the craft, my then boyfriend, now husband and his family took classes at UCLA, met with mentors in Napa, and read a variety of books on how to start a vineyard and grow grapes. From their bold spirit, Defiance Vineyard was born.
After years of growing grapes and the noted success of the quality of fruit, the family decided to launch a wine brand and the women of the family decided to run it. This is where I changed my career to launch this women-owned business with my sisters and mother-in-law. I live here in Pasadena and run the marketing, events, and wine sales. Brianna is our winemaker and Erin is our vineyard and cellar manager, while my mother-in-law runs the accounts. (Collectively, we wear many more hats as the job requires, but you get the gist that there is only four of us doing it all!!).
With changing my career from nutrition to wine, I poured my free time into wine education and marketing classes while I balanced the schedule raising three kids under the age of six, I have successfully brought brand awareness to Defiance through several avenues and this year finally it’s starting to show!
This year I have focused on making a mark in Los Angeles, which has allowed me to do more locally. We were one of 10 wineries featured at LA Magazine’s top ten best new restaurants event, and here in Pasadena, we have done numerous events, including Winemaker Wednesday at the neighborhood favorite, Bacchus Kitchen, where you can find our 91 point Wine Enthusiast rated Cabernet Franc. Wine Enthusiast has given 91 points to at least four of our wines so far this year. And for reference 91 points is the equivalent of Excellent, Highly Recommend. Doing more events and sales locally in Pasadena has really been a dream come reality.
Becoming an entrepreneur and working with the family has been beneficial not only for my children but for the family as a whole. My children get to see me in a role that is empowering and we get to share our wins and losses as a family which is bonding for us. I feel as an entrepreneur that every success now is also a success for my children. The opportunity to grow and build something that one day they will be able to run or be able to attain formal training is priceless.
Brian, the kids and I travel to Paso monthly where my sisters and I alternate running the Defiance Vineyard Tasting room for wine club members and other visitors. It’s crazy how my kids have adapted to the eight-hour round-trip drive that we take at least once a month. I love running the tasting room and meeting newcomers and seeing our club members when they roll through town. I get to have the most interesting conversations and get to connect on a personal level.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been wine-dy one, I’d say.
We launched our wine brand in 2020, during COVID which was a difficult time to attract customers to product at a moderately high price point that they had never heard of or tried before. So, it still feels like we have been in a soft launch for 2.5 years, but this year we launched the tasting room, a new wine club and have crafted more consistent events at the vineyard, including recurrent Saturday tasting hours and Morning Flow: wine and yoga. as well as pop up events for various holidays.
Sales calls have also been a new challenge for me. As a mother of three, I still have a seven-week-old and a three years old at home, so popping into wine shops and restaurants requires a bit of schedule magic and while I wear many hats – none of them are a magicians. So when the stars align, it usually ends up a successful day, as my sister makes fantastic wines that once tasted are an easy sell!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What really sets us apart is in the wine industry – it’s incredibly rare to have every part of the operation run by women, let alone a family of women. Any time you email or call us, you know it’s one of the three sisters responding.
We bring a sense of family and community to all our wine club members. When we have any event. It feels like you belong there and literally, no one ever leaves the party early. What is remarkable is our members have become friends with each other as well. So the sense of community you get just by joining a wine club is really unique.
Also, the way the property is situated, when visitors select to come for a private tasting, they have the entire vineyard and space to themselves – and the space feels so comfortable and familiar it’s been said that it feels like a home away from home.
Pricing:
- $30-125 per bottle
- $35-50 per tasting
- 10-20% off all pricing with Club Membership
- Membership is Free to join
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.defiancevineyard.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/defiancevineyard/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/defiancevineyard/
Image Credits
Vincenta Faulkner
