Dana von Sternberg took his first steps in a gem office in Germany and grew up in the diamond industry, working with his family to manage a wholesale diamond cutting shop in Sonoma County. While he grew up in the heart of the Russian River Valley, his interest in wine didn’t flourish until being tapped by winemaking friends to run the finances and admin side of a boutique wine label in 2010. Quickly being bitten by the wine bug, Dana dove headfirst into the wine industry, learning every aspect as the wine company grew by leaps and bounds, without any formal training. In late 2015, when presented with the opportunity, Dana opted to leave his role as CFO of Christopher Creek Winery to farm a 4.5 acre Pinot Vineyard and commit himself full time to the Vokel Cellars brand. Focusing on small lots and minimal intervention, Dana makes wines that let the vineyard speak for itself. With the 2016 vintage (Dana’s first year of full-time winemaking) came the first Wine Advocate Scores of 91+. 2018 brought the opening of Vokel’s very own winery and the first Wine Enthusiast 94 point score. In 2021 Dana assumed the role of winemaking for Nantucket Vineyards, producing their wines at the Vokel Cellars Winery in California and shipping them to Nantucket.