Winemaker Chris Brown started over 30 years ago in the wine industry, first in restaurants as Wine Steward, Wine Buyer, and Manager, then as a Wine Broker. This background in wine sales, both to the end consumer as well as on- and off-premises accounts, gives him a unique perspective about what it takes to sell wine.
His love of wine took him to Fresno State University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1993 with a BS in Food and Nutritional Sciences - Enology Option, with a minor in Chemistry. During his time at Fresno State, Chris was a Research Assistant at the Viticulture and Enology Research Center working under Dr. Barry Gump.
After graduation, Chris took a position as Winemaker at Golden State Vintners in Cutler, California, a 40,000-ton winery that produced all manner of wines and brandy, including Sparkling (Charmat Process), Dessert, and Fortified Wines, as well as generic and varietal wines that were sold throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. He took on an additional role of Plant Manager during his five years there.
He moved to the Napa Valley in 1998, taking a position as Processing Winemaker at Trinchero Family Estates, based in St. Helena, overseeing all cellar operations and winemaking logistics between three Napa Valley properties, and was part of the team that designed and began operations at the Trinchero's facility in Lodi, California. He was promoted to Senior Processing Winemaker during his tenure there.
In 2005, Chris moved to the Central Coast of California, as Head Winemaker at Central Coast Wine Services for the Miller Family, owners of the famed Bien Nacido Vineyards among others. He was part of the team the designed the layout for the construction and outfitting of Paso Robles Wine Services. He was promoted to Director of Winemaking and oversaw all winemaking and production activities in both facilities, and was an integral part of the formation of Turn Key Wine Brands, the branded and private label sales arm of the company. Under his guidance, the winemaking team supported growth from zero cases in 2006 (the company was focused on Custom Crush and bulk wine sales) to well over 200,000 cases in 2015, garnering no fewer than 40 awards of Silver or better in wine competitions and 37 ratings of 85 or better in leading publications.
He has always been a strong proponent of public education and giving back to the community, so in 2014, he began teaching Winery Operations courses and volunteering as Consulting Winemaker at the new Allan Hancock College Winery in Santa Maria. Here students are given hands-on experience producing commercial wines from the harvest of grapes from the on-campus vineyard to bottling and everything in between. Under his watch, the campus winery and students have produced Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Rose, Sparkling (traditional method), Syrah, Albarino, and Torrontes from the campus vineyard as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and others from warmer climate regions. The results have been fantastic, with students finding gainful employment in the industry, and the wines garnering multiple awards in commercial competitions.
He formed Diligent Wines in 2016. His passion is to produce wines that have a sense of place and deliver value to the consumer, while contributing positively to the winery's bottom line.