Our People
Winemaker and Vineyard ManagerBorn and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, Blair excelled in sports and art, playing rugby, basketball and cricket, while pursuing an interest in graphic design. The skills he developed in those areas come in handy as a winemaker today with what he describes as an athlete’s competitiveness, a creative eye and an artist’s enthusiasm for winemaking. With a national certificate in graphic design, earned in New Zealand, and a post-graduate degree in oenology and viticulture, Blair got his start in wine in 2009 as a harvest intern at Paul Hobb’s Crossbarn in California, where he met his wife, Caroline Stewart. Together the couple moved to South Australia, where Blair assumed a job as assistant winemaker at BK Wines. As much as Blair and Caroline loved life down under, California was where they saw their future. Returning to Napa Valley in 2012, Blair was named assistant winemaker at Kunde Family Winery, a position he held for three years. In 2015, Blair joined the Stewart Cellars team as winemaker and vineyard manager, displaying the same passion he brings to being a husband and father as he does his work in the vineyards and cellar. |