Many Top 40 Under 40 Wine Enthusiast Tastemakers in Bay Area

Wine Enthusiast is a magazine known for its hip, cool, sexy celebration of wine and other imbibing beverages. It has a pretty big following in San Francisco. And every year it spends a good deal of editorial talent, time and money to discover and tout its Top 40 Tastemakers who are Under 40. These are trailblazers burning new paths in the future of wine, beer, cider and spirits in the U.S.

Tastemakers can include winemakers, grape growers, retailers, bartenders, educators and other eclectic movers and shakers. Thus, such words as “Gulpability” are born—from 35-year-old tastemaker Sam Bilbro from our local Healdsburg wine town.

So, the top 40 list this year of the under 40 crowd includes, not really surprisingly, quite a few men and women from the wine country of the North Bay and right here in the city, and one in Oakland.

Over in Oakland Stevie Stacionis is 34, and the co-owner of Bay Grape Wine. Check her out for insights.

And in the city we have Ashley Teplin, 37, co founder of a public relations firm in San Francisco.