CECELIA BUCKENHAM BAINES

VITICULTURE MANAGER

Originally from New Zealand, Cecelia spent 15 years getting her feet dirty in the Vineyards of Marlborough before emigrating to Sonoma. She loves to travel and explore new places and, since moving to the Sonoma area, she’s savored the endless opportunities to be out in nature, as well as the sunshine, local produce and new wine varieties.

“Kenwood is humble, natural and unassumingly beautiful and it embraces the beautiful diverse region we live in. Our vineyards and people are a clear reflection of this and it’s impossible not to feel an affinity with it.”

After gaining a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology in 2004, Cecelia went straight into a successful career in Vineyard Management and Grower Relations in New Zealand, with vintages inthe Loire Valley in France. As a Viticulturist she firmly believes that the final wine should be the ultimate expression of the land – from the soil and the climate to those who live, work and nurture the land. Day to day she ensures that our wines do just that and is responsible for our vineyards and the grapes purchased from growers.

Currently Cecelia’s working on developing a model vineyard for us to learn from and use to influence our growing practices as part of Kenwood’s biodiversity commitments. The model aims to nurture as many native flora and fauna as possible within our vineyards – a project she’s found very exciting having discovered wildlife not present in her homeland of New Zealand.