STEPHANIE COOK
WINEMAKER / OWNER
Born and raised in Leesville, South Carolina, Stephanie began traveling the world as a fashion model, living and working in London, Milan and Istanbul.
Landing back in South Carolina, this time in Charleston, she turned her lifelong love of food into a new career, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University. After staging in a restaurant in Milan, she returned to the incredible food, history and beauty of Charleston. Stephanie put her hospitality and entrepreneurial skills to the test, creating and leading the successful special events and catering company, Bridgeside Events, which she later sold.
All the while, her secret dream to become a winemaker waited patiently for its moment. After losing her Dad unexpectedly, the man who made homemade Muscadine wine in the laundry room, it motivated her to make her dream of becoming a winemaker become a reality.
Not long after, she met Bob Biale of Robert Biale Vineyards at a industry event in New York City and informed Bob that she was coming to work for him. True to her word, she worked that year's harvest in Napa, soaking up every bit of knowledge she could.
In 2011, she bought her own grapes and made her first Pinot Noir and two Zinfandels. In 2012, she continued honing her skills at Spottswoode, a family wine estate in St. Helena. And, fell ever more in love with winemaking. In 2013, she was the senior intern at Anomaly Vineyards working with acclaimed winemaker Mark Porembski. In spring of 2014 Stephanie decided to go down under to New Zealand, specifically to Marlborough and spend 8 weeks in the role of Vintage Winemaker for Spy Valley Wines. During the 2014 Napa/Sonoma harvest Stephanie worked harvest at Staglin Family Vineyard with winemaker Frederik Johansson. The rest, as they say, is history - or, as we like to say, a balancing act.