Viticulturist
Pete Opatz
Pete Opatz believes his vineyards prosper by his personal attention. By the age of 16, already dedicated to farming, he spent most of his free time behind the wheel of a tractor in his family's Oakville vineyard. At 17 he was living on his own serving an apprenticeship under William Bartolucci, a third generation Napa grape grower.
Pete has spent his entire career growing wine grapes working first in Napa for Bartolucci and other producers and then in Sonoma where for the past 25 years he has held positions at a number of prestigious wine properties. During these years he met winemaker and friend Don Van Staaveren. Pete has also been involved in numerous industry associations, serving 2 one-year terms as president of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association and 6 years as a board member of the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group. Today Pete serves as viticulturist for Vino Farms, which owns over 35 of the finest vineyards in Sonoma County and grows the grapes for Picket Fence.
For Pete it is being out there and walking in the vineyards that makes a difference. "There's no substitute for this hands-on visual evaluation of the vineyards each week, perfectly matching the water, nutrient, and trellising requirements for each vine with the soil and climate conditions. Automated systems are fine, but you need the human touch to tell you what's really happening," says Pete.