Jacqueline Yoakum

Jacqueline Yoakum began her winemaking career in New York. She had been working as a furniture designer but was looking for a career path to bring her closer to agriculture. She took a job assisting the winemaker at Macari Vineyards, which was not far from her home. While working at there, she browsed the winemaker’s library and decided to call the female authors of his winemaking books to ask them what it would be like working in the male-dominated profession of winemaking. Conversations with Zelma Long, then winemaker for Simi Winery, and Linda Bisson, a professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis, inspired Jacqueline to get her Master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis.

The winemaking philosophy at Keller Estate is to respect the terroir that is characteristic of the vineyard estate. Jacqueline spends considerable time in the vineyard, assessing crop levels, managing the canopy, and timing irrigation. Her most important decision, however, comes from tasting the ripening fruit over and over again, determining the optimal time to harvest.