Sarah Donley

Sarah Donley began her formal training in winemaking by earning a degree in Enology at California State University, Fresno, in 2010. That fall, she worked for three months as a harvest intern at Colgin Cellars in St. Helena and followed that with another harvest internship, this time at Mollydooker in South Australia.

Returning to the U.S. in mid-2011, Sarah first interned at Araujo Estate in Calistoga, moved on to another internship with Colgin, and then was promoted there to production assistant and then assistant winemaker, in 2012 and 2015, respectively. She then joined the Wheeler Farms project of the Araujos as production manager/winemaker, after which she was named winemaker at ADAMVS in Angwin in 2018.

Sarah left ADAMVS in mid-2020 and held administrative positions at Portocork and Bucher Vaslin North America until joining Shifflet Ranch & Vineyard in 2026 as its winemaker. Among other varietals, she is crafting Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and red blends.

Sarah and her winemaker husband live on Howell Mountain and are the proud parents of two daughters.