Cary Quintana

Cary Quintana followed the Sensory path to winemaking. Of Cuban descent, she was born and raised in Miami, Florida, as part of the Cuban community there. She started her professional career in Miami within the advertising sales industry. Her introduction to the world of wine was in the early 2000s with her first glass of wine, “an expensive glass of Freemark Abbey.” Intrigued by the wine’s aromas and flavors, she started going to wine shops inquiring about wines that fit her budget and then enjoying the wines with friends.

In 2005, she quit her day job and founded Vine Wine Shop & Tasting Loft, a neighborhood wine shop and tasting room she successfully managed until 2009. The shop/loft was dedicated to the discovery of underrepresented and esoteric wines from small producers around the world. This experience greatly enhanced Cary’s appreciation of wine.

Finding her way to California in 2013, her passion for unique microclimates, farming practices, and minimal winemaking philosophies became the source of the next chapter of her life. Completing her Winemaking Certification from the University of California, Davis, and also being self-taught, Cary released her first wine under the Cary Q Wines label in 2014. She first produced her wines in the heart of Berkeley’s Gilman wine district, with a focus on sourcing organic fruit from Sonoma Valley and the Sierra Foothills. Since 2020, she has been crafting her wines at Punchdown Cellars in Santa Rosa, using organic fruit mostly sourced from Lodi and the Sierra Foothills. She continues her career in advertising technology, and since 2018 has led the recruitment efforts in the Bay Area as Vice President for Strategy Source, a talent solutions firm focused on emerging technology and the ad tech industry.

Cary is a big advocate of using Spanish varietals, particularly high-acid white wines. She currently produces a Xarel·lo and a Picpoul, as well as a Cinsault and several co-fermented blends. As a winemaker, she is a minimalist at heart, believing in keeping the process simple, intentionally sticking to small lots and “getting out of the wine’s way.” She embraces the idea and philosophy of working with unique vineyards that are conscientious and practice meticulous and organic farming. She subscribes to the belief that soils are the start of the real story to a varietally expressive wine. Cary is fully hands-on by harvesting and sorting her fruit by hand. She most loves the creativity central to winemaking and is particularly proud of being able to get access to varietals that are underrepresented and making a delicious wine. She is also proud of being a successful woman wine producer since 2014.

When Cary is not working on her wine or her responsibilities as VP for Strategy Source, she enjoys time with her partner, outdoor activities, getting creative in the kitchen with beautiful food and wine pairings, and cooking for friends.