Dorcich Family Vineyards (Winemaker)

Terah Wine Co. (Winemaker & Owner)

Terah Bajjalieh, a native of California, has a career path that started with a B.S. degree in Finance in 2007 from San José State University in the Silicon Valley and by early 2021 led to her current position as the winemaker for Dorcich Family Vineyards in Gilroy, California. Her professional career in the wine industry started in 2010 by becoming a certified sommelier through the French Culinary Institute followed by certification as a Level 2 Certified Specialist of Wine by way of the Society of Wine Educators in 2011. In 2019, Terah completed the Level 3 Wine Steward/Sommelier program of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

She used her vast knowledge for positions as sommelier at several firms in northern California before starting along the road to becoming a winemaker in 2011 by holding a position as a “cellar rat” at the French Culinary Institute and then as a harvest intern at Bodega Familia Zuccardi in Argentina. These were the first of many subsequent experiences: additional internships were with Freestone Vineyards (Fall 2012), Stags Leap Wine Cellars (Fall 2013), Dumol (Fall 2014 and 2015), and Forlorn Hope Wines (Fall 2016) in California; in Oregon, they included Chehalem (Fall 2017) and Montinore Vineyards (Fall 2017); internationally, they were with Wither Hills Winery in New Zealand (Spring 2013), St Hallets Winery in Australia (Spring 2014), Torbreck (Spring 2015) also in Australia, Domaine de Montille in France (Fall 2017). She somehow managed to complete additional formal education during this period, earning an M.S. degree in Viticulture and Enology in 2017 from Montpellier SupAgro in France,

Now much traveled and with broad expertise in winemaking, Terah assumed the position of enologist with Constellation Brands in the Central Coast of California in early 2018 and then moved on in 2019 as assistant winemaker for Asv Wines in Monterey County. In this same year, she launched Terah Wine Co., her wine label and consulting business.

Named winemaker for Dorcich Family Vineyards in early 2021, Terah is crafting a variety of red wines, including Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, among other varietals, and red blends. She works with organic and biodynamic vineyards, choosing partners who emphasize environmental and social responsibility. Being part of the wine industry allows her to satisfy a number of her personal passions, namely, food, travel, culture, and adventure.