MEET THE SPEAKERS

RON YATES – Owner, Spicewood Winery

Ron Yates, is a successful winery owner and operator whose professional career was influenced during a semester spent in Spain while he was a student at the University of Texas. Ron fell in love with wine and realized he wanted to pursue that passion as a career.  

In 2007, Ron acquired Spicewood Winery from the original owners, Edward and Madeleine Manigold, and has built on the award-winning legacy at winery with estate. Over the years, Spicewood Vineyards has been lauded as a premier event and wedding venue, and has earned numerous accolades for producing estate wines from 32 acres and a 10-acre vineyard located west of Spicewood in Round Mountain. 

In 2016 Ron expanded his winemaking style by opening his eponymous winery, Ron Yates, which makes wines not only with estate-grown fruit, but also from grapes grown in the most prestigious vineyards of the Texas High Plains and other wine growing regions in the U.S. The winery is known not only for its fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo, but also for its gracious hospitality. Ron oversees day-to-day operations, vineyard management, and works closely with the winemaker at Ron Yates and Spicewood Vineyards.

JANUARY WIESE – Executive Director, Texas Hill Country Wineries

January Wiese entered the wine industry in 1991 when her parents purchased a vineyard in Paso Robles, CA. Their estate winery named for their beloved daughters January and & Kristin. “JanKris” Vineyard & Winery was born and served as a pioneering property on the famous West 46. January was always knee deep in all aspects of the family business. She left to obtain her Bachelor’s in Agricultural Business from Montana State University.  Returning to Paso & as the GM of JKW, January loved all aspects of the industry from stained harvest hands, wholesale relations, tasting room activities and the thrill of cultivating wine club growth.  When the family elected to sell the winery in 2007 she married a Texan & moved to Austin.  

January entertained multiple offers from local wineries and later transitioned into the association side as Event Coordinator for Texas Hill Country Wineries Association in 2009. In 2012 she became the Executive Director leading the charge for the AVA.  Currently she plans the association’s consumer events, works with Growers and Winemakers on educational and fundraising efforts, planning/strategy for tasting room staff and winery management as well as marketing, promotion and local outreach for the association as a whole.  January is the organizer of the annual Hill Country Wine Symposium hosted by THCW, a 3-day wine industry educational conference celebrating its 10th year in 2024.  

AMIE HENDRICKSON – Operations Manager, TEXSOM

Amie Hendrickson joined the TEXSOM team as Operations Manager in January 2019 after 20 years as General Manager at Edmond Wine Shop, a fine wine and beverage retailer in Oklahoma. In addition to her duties at the shop, Amie coordinated education for Wine Forum of Oklahoma at Oklahoma State University, a biennial education event that raises scholarships for the hospitality program. Her studies include the disciplines offered by the Court of Master Sommeliers, Society of Wine Educators, and WSET.

DANIEL PATE – Owner Operator, Apical Texas Vineyard Management & Consulting

Daniel Pate owns and operates a vineyard management company, called Apical Texas, in Brownfield, Texas. With a team of 65 employees, they oversee 715 acres for 24 clients in the Texas High Plains AVA. After spending nearly a decade in Northern California operating vineyards, Daniel returned to his Texas roots in 2018 to help propel Texas vineyards into the next frontier of grape growing. Apical Texas provides labor, equipment, inputs, and technical guidance to clients to ensure they can grow the best wine and produce the most grapes. Daniel’s career highlights feature over 27,000 tons grown, managed, and purchased from 5,124 unique acres served – with grapes supplied to over 203 unique wine brands, garnering 88 wines with +90 point scores. Daniel received his Master of Science & Bachelor of Science in Agricultural & Applied Economics from Texas Tech University.

VALERIE ELKINS – Director of Membership, William Chris Wine Company

Valerie began her career in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri in the legal and financial services industry leading process management and technology development teams. After being recruited to start up a new operation in Dallas, Valerie spent her weekends enjoying wine tasting experiences and ultimately developing a passion for wine. In 2018 she began learning more about wine while working part time for Blue Ostrich Winery and Vineyard in St. Jo, Texas as a Tasting Room Ambassador. In 2020 she made the transition to the Hill Country and became a part of the Tasting Room management team for Texas Wine Collective, representing Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery and McPherson Cellars. In 2022 she joined the William Chris Wine Company leadership team as the Director of Memberships, representing William Chris Vineyards, Lost Draw, and their new boutique brand, Uplift.

Valerie is the current Executive Director of Texas Wine Growers, an organization of wineries who support 100% Texas-Grown wine. Valerie has a passion for service and is also currently the Auction Coordinator for the Texas Wine Auction held annually in the Texas Hill Country.

Valerie holds a Master’s Degree in Management, and a certification in Wine Business Management from Sonoma State University. Although she has very little free time Valerie loves to travel, take long scenic walks and drink great Texas wine!