Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> January 27, 2003
MARY ANN SEBASTIANI CUNEO was appointed by the Board of Directors
as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sebastiani Vineyards
& Winery in February 2001, at the time the company sold its
Central Valley wine holdings and committed itself to producing
only the highest-quality wines from Sonoma County. Ms. Cuneo was
raised with the winery in her backyard. Growing up, she spent
many weekends, summers and vacations working on the bottling
line, giving tours and assisting at hospitality events. In 1980,
she accepted a position in marketing and public relations. By
1985 she had become Senior Vice President of Sebastiani Vineyards
& Winery Hospitality, and was charged with managing the company's
real estate holdings. In addition to leading Sebastiani's
renaissance as a fine-wine producer, Ms. Cuneo has spearheaded
the multimillion-dollar renovation of the winery's century-old
visitor center. The center re-opened to the public in December
2001 and is a veritable showplace of California cultural heritage
with an emphasis on Sonoma and its winemaking history. Ms. Cuneo
earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Santa Clara in
1969 and a degree in Education from UC Davis in 1970. She
regularly travels to Italy to study vineyard development and
management in Tuscany, Liguria and Lombardy. Profile
Ms. Cuneo: The company was started by my grandfather around the
turn of the 20th century. He was an immigrant from Italy who
