ABOUT SAFE HARBOR
Safe Harbor was designed for winemakers who require a safe, clean and independent facility to handle their bulk wine storage and winemaking needs. Founded in 2007 by four wine business professionals, together they chose a parcel in South Napa on Gateway Road West to open the first facility. A few years later, Safe Harbor 2.0 was opened a few blocks from the original location on Technology Way. In 2020, Safe Harbor was granted a Use Permit from the County of Napa for two additional facilities within walking distance of the other two locations.
Starting as a bulk wine storage and enhancement facility, Safe Harbor performed blending, storage, micro-oxygenation and oak stylization of clients’ wines. With Safe Harbor 2.0, white grape juice fermentation was added along with cross-flow filtration services, bottle prep and bottling via Halsey Bottling. With Safe Harbor 3.0 and 4.0 (Fall 2023) additional storage, white fermentation and bottling operations will be expanded to meet client demand.
MEET THE TEAM
Safe Harbor has experts in Winemaking, Cellar, Operations, Logistics, Compliance and Bottling. Together our team can help you with all of your Winemaking needs from concept to finished product.
JOEL GREEN
Director of Winemaking and Client Relationships
Joel was the first employee hired at Safe Harbor in 2007, shortly after graduating with a Winemaking degree from U.C. Davis. Joel focuses on client services and winemaking responsibilities and, to his credit, the first three clients of Safe Harbor are still our clients today.
Contact Joel
MARTHA RUECA-GUSTAFSSON
Director of Winery Operations
Martha is the most recent addition to Safe Harbor (2019) and to the Management Team with the duties of Director of Operation, overseeing business management, the bottling center, and client onboarding and dream fulfillment.
Contact Martha
JESUS FLORES
Cellar Master
Jesus earned his stripes as Cellar Master by working efficiently, intelligently and passionately with the Safe Harbor esteemed list of clients. Jesus joined the Safe Harbor Management Team in 2020 after eleven years of dedicated, hands on winemaking.
Contact Jesus
MARIA MEDRANO
Assistant Cellar Master
Maria Medrano has been a Safe Harbor employee since August 2014. Her prior winery experience includes ZD Winery for three years as a bottling lead and at Robert Mondavi Winery for four years as a cellar worker and bottling lead.
Contact Maria
SAM BAIR
Assistant Cellar Master
Sam Bair has been a Safe Harbor employee since July 2018. His prior winery experience includes Robledo Winery and Davis Estates as both a harvest cellar worker and as a full-time cellar worker during the off season.
FOUNDERS
COREY BECK
Born in Calistoga, Corey brings a wealth of winemaking experience to the partnership at Safe Harbor and is a great resource for the winemaking team. Corey is C.E.O and Chief Winemaker at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, overseeing nine brands and over fifty wines. Corey is the Executive Vice President of Winemaking and Production at Delicato Family Wines.
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SCOTT MCLEOD
Scott, a student of wine and language and Co-Founder of Wine X-Ray, brings over thirty years of experience to the winemaking team at Safe Harbor. Scott’s expertise is wine quality management through winery design is part of the Safe Harbor recipe of success.
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STEPHEN SULLIVAN
Stephen, a Sonoma Winemaker, collaborated with his brother, Alan, to form StaVin, and continues to lead sales for the company. Stephen is a visionary with unlimited industry relationships, and furthers client engagement and expansion of services for Safe Harbor, one client at a time.
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ALAN SULLIVAN
Alan founded StaVin, the first oak alternative company in the industry, to modernize the oak stylization matrix from ‘wine in oak’ to ‘oak in wine.’ Alan manages the Safe Harbor partnership’s business responsibilities along with his wife, Michelle, and continues his management duties at StaVin.
OUR PARTNERS
VinSci
VinSci is the quintessential blend of analytical chemistry and winemaking knowledge. Their exacting standards ensures accurate results and their winemaking expertise enables practical consultation.
vinsci.com
707-225-4794
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Wine XRay
Since founding in 2007, WineXRay has continued to educate winemakers to the power of phenolic measurements in the production environment.
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707-252-9692
StaVin
StaVin is the world’s leading supplier of the highest quality toasted oak products for wine. Family run, StaVin operates in an artisanal fashion to customize and craft winemakers’ complex flavor profiles.
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stavin.com
415-331-7849
WHAT’S NEXT?
Safe Harbor 3.0
Fully permitted for 5,000 ton crush facility
