Ryan Prichard
Winemaker
Three Sticks Wines
Sonoma, CA
Ryan grew up in Northern California, so it isn’t a surprise that he fell in love
with wine, but his passion for wine ignited while he was 3,000 miles away in
New York as a student of Cornell University. He enrolled in a wine
appreciation course which opened his eyes to the vast world of wine. His
subsequent travels revealed that wine is so much more than the product in
the bottle – it is a representation of different cultures, terroirs and their
histories. Ryan realized that as a winemaker, he could spend his life
weaving together agriculture, art, culture and science, capturing the
essence of place and time. While in Colorado, he completed the UC Davis
Certificate Program in Winemaking and decided to move back to California
and begin winemaking full-time.
Since his return to California, Ryan has worked alongside many esteemed
winemakers in various Sonoma County wineries including Williams Selyem,
Copain Custom Crush, Medlock Ames and Graft Wines, and is concurrently
the Winemaker at Flambeaux Wine in Dry Creek Valley.
His focus is crafting pinot noir and chardonnay that showcase Three Sticks’
exceptional estate vineyard sites, producing wines of distinction and
acclaim. Ryan conceptualizes winemaking as an endeavor in balancing
contrasts, “you must be precise yet flexible; organic yet by design; create
for immediate gratification yet stand the test of time”. Ryan was recently
awarded the highest wine industry honor by LuxeSF and San Francisco
Magazine, the 2020 Rising Star: Winemaker of the Year
award.
As we forge ahead in a new and different economic and societal landscape,
Ryan hopes wine can play a small part in bringing comfort, understanding
and connections to people in our communities. He resides in Bennett Valley,
CA with his wife, two kids, and rascally dog.
Related Festival Events
May 20, 2023
Taste of Sonoma | Wine Dinner with Chef Mark Stark
7:00pm - 10:00pm
May 15, 2020
California Grown
4:00pm - 7:00pm
May 14, 2020
Seminar: Pinot Talks
1:00pm-2:30pm
May 18, 2023
Harbor Gala
6:30pm - 9:30pm
May 20, 2023
Grand Tastings: Session 1 (Saturday)
11:30am-1:30pm
May 20, 2023
Grand Tastings: Session 2 (Saturday)
3:00pm-5:00pm
May 21, 2023
Grand Tastings: Session 3 (Sunday)
11:30am-1:30pm