Full Name
Katie Vogt
Job Title
Winemaker
Company
Louis M. Martini
Speaker Bio
When Katie Vogt was growing up in Fullerton in Southern California, she didn’t know that winemaking was her calling, but it was. When she went to college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, she was getting closer.
“I liked being outside, and I liked making things with my hands,” says Katie, the Assistant Winemaker for Louis M. Martini Winery. “I didn’t know much about agriculture, but I knew I wanted to work outside.”
Still, it wasn’t until her senior year that it all connected. That was when she worked an internship at a winery in Paso Robles. “It was total grunt work, cleaning tanks, scrubbing bins,” Katie says. “I loved it. I fell for it completely.”
She graduated with a degree in Agribusiness and a minor in Viticulture and Enology and returned to that winery, handling duties ranging from cellar work to working the tasting room bar. She even hauled grapes. “At first, that was a terrifying experience,” she says.
But it was winemaking that called to her, and she learned the craft at a handful of wineries in that region, later joining the winemaking team at Edna Valley Vineyards and Bridlewood Estate as Assistant Winemaker for E & J Gallo’s Bordeaux program on the Central Coast.
In 2015, Katie brought her passion and expertise to Louis M. Martini Winery in Napa Valley, where she makes world-class Cabernet. She says she was instantly impressed by the valley, the extraordinary vineyards in the region, and the exceptional resources and winemaking at Martini.
“The quality of fruit we source for Martini is awesome,” Katie says. “It’s such a joy to make wine here, and working with the winemaking team, especially Michael (Eddy, the head winemaker at Martini) makes it even better.”
Beyond the vineyards, Katie says she’s just as wowed by the beauty of Napa Valley and the mountains around it.
“It’s just so gorgeous here,” she says. “I drive to work every day from the City of Napa and I look around and feel so lucky. One thing that has surprised me is all the hidden corners and views everywhere you turn. There are days that are magic up on Monte Rosso (in the Mayacamas Mountains on Napa’s western edge). We all love that vineyard because it has such a great history and it produces such incredible fruit, but the views there are just stunning, too. There are so many views in this area that are astonishing. It makes everything we do better.”
When Katie is not in the cellar or taking in the views, she cooks, entertains friends and explores the culinary world around her.
“I liked being outside, and I liked making things with my hands,” says Katie, the Assistant Winemaker for Louis M. Martini Winery. “I didn’t know much about agriculture, but I knew I wanted to work outside.”
Still, it wasn’t until her senior year that it all connected. That was when she worked an internship at a winery in Paso Robles. “It was total grunt work, cleaning tanks, scrubbing bins,” Katie says. “I loved it. I fell for it completely.”
She graduated with a degree in Agribusiness and a minor in Viticulture and Enology and returned to that winery, handling duties ranging from cellar work to working the tasting room bar. She even hauled grapes. “At first, that was a terrifying experience,” she says.
But it was winemaking that called to her, and she learned the craft at a handful of wineries in that region, later joining the winemaking team at Edna Valley Vineyards and Bridlewood Estate as Assistant Winemaker for E & J Gallo’s Bordeaux program on the Central Coast.
In 2015, Katie brought her passion and expertise to Louis M. Martini Winery in Napa Valley, where she makes world-class Cabernet. She says she was instantly impressed by the valley, the extraordinary vineyards in the region, and the exceptional resources and winemaking at Martini.
“The quality of fruit we source for Martini is awesome,” Katie says. “It’s such a joy to make wine here, and working with the winemaking team, especially Michael (Eddy, the head winemaker at Martini) makes it even better.”
Beyond the vineyards, Katie says she’s just as wowed by the beauty of Napa Valley and the mountains around it.
“It’s just so gorgeous here,” she says. “I drive to work every day from the City of Napa and I look around and feel so lucky. One thing that has surprised me is all the hidden corners and views everywhere you turn. There are days that are magic up on Monte Rosso (in the Mayacamas Mountains on Napa’s western edge). We all love that vineyard because it has such a great history and it produces such incredible fruit, but the views there are just stunning, too. There are so many views in this area that are astonishing. It makes everything we do better.”
When Katie is not in the cellar or taking in the views, she cooks, entertains friends and explores the culinary world around her.
Speaking At
