The San Francisco Chronicle has named Whittier alumnus Steve Matthiasson its "Winemaker of the Year" for 2013.
The son of anthropology professors, Matthiasson was born in Winnipeg and traveled west to attend Whittier, where he graduated in 1991 with a degree in philosophy. However, to the Matthiason family, farming remained an intellectual's pursuit and he returned to school to study horticulture at UC Davis.
Now living on a farm in Napa with his wife, Jill, and sons, Kai and Harry, Matthiasson is a top viticultural consultant and makes wine for his own label, Matthiasson.
"I still pinch myself every morning," said Matthiasson. "I'll go out there at night and stand in the vineyard and look at the stars and say, 'Wow, this is our farm. We pulled it off.' "
Click here to read: Winemaker of the Year: Steve Matthiasson digs for Napa's roots.
Matthiasson was also named the Napa Valley Winemaker of the Year in 2012 by Food & Wine magazine.
(Photo by The San Francisco Chronicle.)
