Sofia Rivier
Agronomist
“Sofia Rivier is an international agronomist whose career spans from Argentina to Switzerland and currently Mendocino County, USA. Just as she relishes the fine complexities of a wine’s palate, she also reveres the vibrant cultures and art of the world. As such, she continually desires to expand her understanding of the wine industry.”
Biography
Her connection with nature, friends, family, and customers; and often finds herself documenting moments through her love of photography and the natural environment. Wherever she goes, Sofia takes time to get involved on a personal level which allows her skillset and interests to keep branching out organically into many rich and complex avenues where life blends seamlessly work. Ms. Rivier was born and raised in Mendoza, Argentina into a family whose life revolved around wine making. Her family’s vineyard and winery (www.jeanrivier.com) were established by her grandparents who immigrated from Switzerland and still to this day produce excellent wines. Growing up, she was saturated in viticulture as a way of life and it kept her close to the natural richness of her native soil, the mountains, and ultimately....the terroir. It’s not just in her blood - it’s under her fingernails.From 2006 till 2014 Sofia dedicated herself to many immersive learning experiences. She could be found working in the labs, fermenting in the cellars, involved with harvests, and organizing operations as a cellar hand - however, these were not enough and she was ready to go for more. That was just the start for Sofia. Inspired by her family roots, following the Agronomy path, she attained her bachelor in Agricultural Engineering at the Agricultural Sciences College, Cuyo National University, Mendoza, Argentina in 2013.
In 2014 she moves to Switzerland to keep studying and working in the wine business with a new perspective. In 2017 she attained the Master of Life Sciences in Enology and Viticulture at the HES-SO-University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland at the Campus of Changins, Nyon, Switzerland.
All of this has led up to a momentous turn in 2018, when she decided to move to Mendocino County, California for a new adventure, a new project was born. Working closely with the winemaker Ettore Biraghi, Sofia finds the perfect fusion of creativity and work precision to develop interesting wines. She has found an authentic venue to channel her grand focus: make wine at its best expression, understanding the terroir, the challenges of the seasons, applying different techniques of winemaking and working with an excellent and dedicated group of people.
OUR WINEMAKING TEAM
When winemaker Ettore Biraghi first laid eyes on Mendocino, he knew it immediately to be an ideal terroir for the production of pure, organic, and low-intervention fine wines. Establishing his vineyard and winery in Hopland, he took his place in the centuries-long history of one of California’s most dramatic winegrowing regions—one whose future is as promising as its past is historic.
Ettore Biraghi
Winemaker
