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John Herbert:
I received a home winemaking kit from my grandmother for my 21st birthday. I was living in Philadelphia at the time, and the following year, I made a batch of Zinfandel from grapes I bought at the Italian Market in South Philly. That was when I knew I wanted to be a winemaker. Shortly after this, a friend introduced me to the Finger Lakes region. When my wife, Susan, and I saw this area, with all the grapes and wine, we decided to move up here and find work. The center of the wine industry was in Hammondsport at the time, and the industry was in decline. I got a job working for a construction company, and as luck would have it, we got a job building a shop for Bill Wagner. As Bill and I became acquainted, we discovered our mutual interest in winemaking. Bill hired me in 1975, and I started to work in the vineyards and helped build the winery. I was working as assistant winemaker in 1982 when then winemaker Chris Johnson elected to return to California. Bill offered me the job of winemaker, but I didn’t feel I was quite ready to take on the job alone. The next week, Ann Raffetto walked into the winery looking for a job. She had a degree in Fermentation Science from UC Davis. Our backgrounds were complementary, and Ann said let’s work together and make some great wine. We have been doing that for the last 27 years.
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Ann Raffetto:
I was born and raised in California, where I attended the University of California at Davis and earned my degree in Fermentation Science (now called Enology) in 1981. Following graduation I wanted to work in an emerging wine region outside of California and fell in love with the Finger Lakes region. I found the natural beauty, the changing seasons and the region’s outdoor and lake activities appealing. I have been at Wagner’s since 1983. Other wineries I have worked for include Glenora, Herman Weimer, Columbia Winery in Washington and Adelsheim Vineyards in Oregon.
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