As assistant winemaker of JONATA, The Hilt Estate and The Paring, Andrew (Drew) Pickering oversees the day-to-day operations at the winery as well as managing the cellar team and the supply chain. His responsibilities span the entire winemaking process, from contributing to farming decisions at both JONATA and The Hilt estates, to fermentation management, ageing and bottling.
A native of Sonoma County, Drew's introduction to the industry came while on summer break from San Francisco State University, through a job laying tile at Ovid Napa Valley’s residences and winery on Pritchard Hill. While there, he became friends with winemakers Austin Peterson and Andy Erickson, sparking a passion to follow a career in winemaking. Following graduation, under the guidance of Andy, Drew landed a cellar internship at Arietta Wines in Saint Helena, CA, in 2008. “It was such a rich experience to work with such a small producer under the guidance of Andy, his associate winemaker Morgen Maureze, and owner Fritz Hatton, who taught me so much about making classically-styled wines.”
Following his first harvest at Arietta, Drew secured a position at Saint Clair Family Estate in Marlborough, New Zealand where he worked harvest and met his future wife. Upon his return home in 2009, he was recommended for the temporary assistant winemaking position at JONATA, finding his future winemaking home. “The experience exploring the JONATA property for the first time with Winemaker Matt Dees invoked a feeling of inspiration which to this day I’ve never been able to define in words,” says Drew. “From the very beginning it was clear that Matt and I are cut from the same cloth. We even listen to the same music. This has been one of the secrets to our success over the years.”
Half-way through this first harvest at JONATA, Matt realized the talent at hand and asked Drew to stay. Drew eagerly accepted,
