family bios
the ultimate ingredient
You can’t begin to discuss the beginnings of Benziger Family Winery without delving into the family members themselves. The Benzigers — California’s largest wine family in one of California’s smallest appellations have created from the ground up a nationally acclaimed Sonoma winery. From the start, the vision was quite simple; grow grapes that produce wines of uncompromised character and quality inspired by Sonoma County’s unrivaled diversity.
- Mike Benziger
- Bob Benziger
- Joe Benziger
- Jerry Benziger
- Patsy Benziger
- Chris Benziger
- Kathy Benziger
- Tim Wallace
- Mark Burningham
Mike Benziger
Winegrower, General Manager and Tribute Winemaker
"It's a life's work to make a wine that is ultimately connected with a place and the people who farm it," asserts Mike, who has never held a job outside the wine business. Growing up in New York, Mike worked for his father, Bruno Benziger, a wine and spirits importer. After college, he moved to California, where he got a job at the fine wine shop Beltramos. His appreciation for wine grew, and in 1978 he began a winery apprenticeship. "I learned the wine business at the foot of the master," explains Mike. "I was fortunate to have great mentors. When you learn in this way, you learn more than information-you learn respect and reverence for wine and vine."
Bob Benziger
Director of Customer Relations
In 1981, Bob sold the successful wine shop he co-owned with brother Joe Benziger in upscale Scarsdale, N.Y., and moved west to help launch Benziger Family Winery. Initially responsible for wine distribution and sales, Bob built a critically important wine distribution network east of the Mississippi. Later, he turned his energy to managing sales on the West Coast and business development for the winery. Today, Bob is in charge of customer relations for Benziger.
Joe Benziger
Imagery Winemaker
From the moment he arrived in Glen Ellen, Joe immersed himself into every aspect of winemaking from crush to bottling. His firsthand experience was complemented by enology and viticulture courses at the University of California at Davis. In the early 90s, Joe became winemaker for the family's sister winery Imagery, where he crafts limited-production, rare wines with a distinctly Sonoma County personality.
Jerry Benziger
Benziger Partner
Jerry finished his degree in photography and business at Rochester Institute of Technology before joining the family in California. Arriving in 1981, he worked in all aspects of the business from planting grape stock to production. Jerry now resides in Connecticut.
Patsy Benziger Wallace
In 1988, Patsy left her work as an emergency room nurse and moved her family to Glen Ellen. She quickly found her niche at the winery and created the Benziger Family Winery Apprentice Program. As manager of the program, Patsy is responsible for perpetuating the family tradition by arranging for the Benziger children and the children of employees to spend six weeks working in each of the winery's departments during their high school and college tenure.
Chris Benziger
National Sales Manager
Still in high school when the family moved from White Plains to Glen Ellen, Chris finished his senior year in wine country and went on to earn a marketing degree from the University of San Francisco, spending summers, weekends and every spare minute working at the winery. After two years as a management consultant for the international accounting firm of Arthur Andersen & Co., he officially joined the Benziger Family Winery in 1988 as brand manager. Chris is now the national sales manager for the winery.
Kathy Benziger
Central Region Sales Manager
The youngest of Bruno and Helen's seven children, Kathy first came to work at the winery when she was a high school freshman. She soon graduated to pruning, picking, bottling and working in the tasting room. Learning about the wine industry from the ground up, she decided to make her mark in the business end of the operation and earned a degree in management from Sonoma State University. Sales positions at ADP in New York and Hoffman Distributing in New Jersey prepared her for a move back East, where she became the Benziger eastern region sales manager. Kathy now lives in Colorado, where she is the central region sales manager for Benziger.
Tim Wallace
President
A graduate of Brown University and the Harvard Business School, Tim worked with the Time-Warner International Division in New York and the marketing division of American Home Products Corp. before moving west in 1988 with his wife Patsy Benziger. Today, he serves as president of the Benziger Family Winery, overseeing all aspects of sales, marketing, finance and operations.
Mark Burningham
Director of Grower Relations
Mark came to the Benziger Family Winery via his wine distributing business in nearby Santa Rosa, where he handled Benziger Family wines. He joined the winery in 1987 and threw himself into the development of the business with such Benziger-like zeal that he eventually became an unofficial member of the family. Today, as a partner and director of grower relations, Mark works closely with Benziger's growers, dedicated to farming for quality and flavor.