Eileen Crane – Napa’s Most Powerful Woman – July 8, 2010

My guest this week is Eileen Crane, winemaker at Domaine Carneros. In the world of first-class wine making, staying power is a must. Eileen, who first started in the field in 1978, offers something more. She ascended to the top of the Domaine Carneros by Taittinger wine empire as its founding winemaker and president in 1987, where she has stood virtually alone as a woman in the male-dominated wine industry. More than 30 years later Crane is still hard at work making her signature sparkling wines–the “classic, Audrey Hepburn of wines,” as she likes to say, such as Brut and Blanc de Blancs.More than producing an eco-friendly company, Crane has expanded Domaine Carneros to include an 18th century-style château–inspired by the Taittinger-owned Château de la Marquetterie in Champagne–in the heart of California’s winemaking valleys, and a second facility to exclusively produce pinot noir wines. Eileen & I will talk about her career as a female winemaker, her wines and winery, the Domaine Carneros organic vineyard, the winemaking industry and more!

Guest Bio:

Often referred to as America’s Doyenne of Sparkling Wine, Eileen Crane has spent more than 30 years in the industry, making her the most experienced Sparkling Winemaker in the USA. Originally intent on a culinary career, she earned a master’s degree in nutrition followed by professional training at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. Making the decision to turn her passion for wine into a profession, she enrolled in the U.C. Davis Enology and Viticulture program. Upon graduation, she was hired by Domaine Chandon, where she progressed to the position of assistant winemaker, then as winemaker and vice president of Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves. Eileen was selected personally by Claude Taittinger for the position of President/Winemaker of Domaine Carneros. She is one of a handful of women who are now in the forefront of the wine industry in California ans was recently recognized as one of the 75 Most Influential Women in Business by the San Francisco Business Times.