KURTIS OGASAWARA

Growing up in Sunnyvale, California, Kurtis lived just outside of wine country
in the Bay Area. When he went off to college, he moved even closer to wine
country and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Viticulture and Enology
from U.C. Davis. When asked why he wanted to become a winemaker he
said, “It is the perfect mix of science and art; wine is something you can
create to enjoy with family and friends.”
Kurtis began his career in California wine, working with sparkling wine at
Domaine Chandon and Mumm Napa then moved further up valley to Newton
Vineyard where he was an Enologist.
Drawn towards the idea of working for a historic winery and vineyard, Kurtis
began his career at Robert Mondavi Winery, and in 2017 joined the
winemaking team as Assistant Winemaker and in 2018, Senior Winemaker at
Robert Mondavi Winery. Today, Kurtis is Director of Winemaking for Robert
Mondavi Winery.