Latest news with #JacksonFamilyWines'
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Justin Timberlake's ‘unforgettable' Wine Country moment revealed by Jessica Biel
When Kyle Connaughton, chef-owner of Healdsburg's three Michelin-starred SingleThread, discovered Justin Timberlake's favorite sweet treat, he didn't just take note — he took action. To satiate the pop singer's love of Heath Bars, Connaughton drove to a nearby gas station, purchased a few, and served them side by side with the singer's dessert course. That moment, as if scripted by the writers behind the hit Hulu series ' The Bear,' is a favorite Wine Country memory that actress Jessica Biel shared with the Chronicle ahead of her husband's headlining performance at BottleRock Napa Valley on Saturday, May 24. BottleRock Napa Valley 2025: Lineup, tickets, food and more Photos: Highlights from Napa Valley's star-studded music festival BottleRock's most luxurious bites: 7 fancy foods to indulge in at the 2025 festival Biel, who described the chef's gesture as 'unforgettable,' was at opening day of the Napa music and food festival on Friday, May 24, to host a tasting of her new wine brand, Prophet & Poet, in BottleRock's premier Platinum Lounge. She also spoke with the Chronicle about her favorite wine region, what she and Timberlake like to drink at home and which of the pair is the bigger wino. Yesterday at @BottleRockNapa , I spoke with @JessicaBiel and winemaker @jkatzwine about their new wine brand Prophet & Poet. @jtimberlake headlines the festival tonight. — Jess Lander (@jesslander) May 24, 2025 For the wine brand, Biel partnered up with California winemaker Jesse Katz, best known for his Healdsburg winery Aperture and Devil Proof, a world-renowned Malbec. Katz is a childhood friend of Biel's brother (also named Justin), and he notably crafted a wedding wine for both of the siblings on their respective big days. Years later, Prophet & Poet, named in honor of Justin and his wife Rosita Biel as he's a writer and she a shaman), was tasting great, she said, and 'had the DNA to be something really special.' That's when Katz and the three Biels decided to join forces to make the wine brand 'for high-end collectors,' Biel said, aimed to 'set a new standard for wines hailing from Sonoma County.' Katz brought another famous Sonoma County vintner into the fold, Jackson Family Wines' owner Chris Jackson and his wife Ariel Jackson, to source premium grapes. While Katz said his friends give him 'full artistic freedom' in crafting the wines, he explained how he allows them to taste blends and wines from the barrel to get their feedback. The wines, released earlier this week, include a Cabernet Sauvignon, two red blends and two Chardonnays.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Katie Jackson Is Making Jackson Family Wines Climate Positive by 2050
When Katie Jackson was growing up, her backyard was her parents Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Winery in Sonoma County. 'I played in the vineyard and made forts out of the canes,' she recalls. 'I remember us taking hikes around our properties and being outside a lot.' Those childhood activities instilled a love of nature in her, so after interning at the family's biodynamic Yangarra Estate Vineyard in Australia, she returned to California in 2010 and immersed herself in an endeavor at Jackson Family Wines' Kellogg vineyard in Sonoma's Knights Valley. The property had a maze of reservoirs and an aging dam. Working with federal and state agencies, the Jacksons, with Katie's help, removed the barriers and dedicated their water rights to the stream to keep it flowing for fish. The project was among the earliest to implement a Safe Harbor agreement, a program that encourages landowners to establish habitats for endangered species. 'It gave me the bug to do more,' Jackson, 36, says. At the time, the company's sustainability department consisted of a single employee. Jackson took over. Today, as senior vice president of corporate social responsibility for a producer who sells 6 million cases per year across 40 different brands, she's grown Jackson Family Wines' social and environmental efforts in a way that has had an impact far beyond her own company. READ MORE: 15 Game Changers Who Are Impacting the Way We Eat and Drink in 2023 In 2014, the family announced they would pay a premium for certified sustainable grapes, to incentivize Sonoma growers. 'Having Katie in our backyard helps us continue to push the envelope for sustainability and climate efforts and provides visibility for our stewardship,' Sonoma County Winegrowers president Karissa Kruse notes. During COVID, Jackson launched an online seminar series to advance discussions on climate action, social impact, regenerative farming, and water conservation. And with her Rooted for Good initiative, which pushes four company goals—ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion; reducing water use; transitioning the vineyards to regenerative farming; and becoming climate positive by 2050—she is pioneering a new culture of responsibility in wine. In 2019, Jackson cofounded International Wineries for Climate Action to promote science-based practices for decarbonizing the wine industry. 'As the new generation,' says cofounder Miguel A. Torres of Spain's Familia Torres winery, 'Katie had the strategic vision to trigger other wineries to start rigorous carbon emissions reduction programs.' IWCA members measure and continuously decrease their emissions. Jackson has gone further. Again under her lead, by partnering with The Soil Inventory Project, Jackson Family Wines helped secure a $20 million USDA grant to fund climate-smart agriculture for all types of U.S. farmers. This is all a way of paying forward her own sylvan upbringing for future generations, Jackson feels. 'As a larger wine company, it's imperative that we demonstrate meaningful actions and progress. Particularly now that I have children, it's become more personal to me that our company acts truly responsibly.' De La Calle Tepache | Dia Simms | Fry Away | Great Wrap | Heilala Vanilla | Induction Cooking | Joanne Lee Molinaro | Katie Jackson | Lisa Cheng Smith | Maui Nui Venison | Meherwan Irani | Reem Assil | Rockefeller Center | S.A.L.T. | Theaster Gates Read the original article on Food & Wine
