John Quinones
Winemaker of RoxyAnn Winery

...John’s background encompasses over twenty years experience in the fields of enology and viticulture. He graduated from the University of California at Davis in 1986, with a BS degree in Fermentation Science & Enology and began his career at Lyeth Estate Winery, a Sonoma County pioneer in the production of Bordeaux varietals. Following Lyeth Winery, John joined Clos Pegase Winery in Calistoga, Napa Valley; where he earned 15 top scores from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker of 90 points or more, including the 1990 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was ranked among the top 100 wines of the world by Wine Spectator in 1993. As John rapidly gained a reputation for producing outstanding wines at Clos Pegase, he was sought out by numerous wineries seeking his expertise. In 1996, John began a winemaking consulting practice serving small ultra-premium producers from the Hillsides of Diamond Mountain in Napa to the steep ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

John is taking over the winemaking reigns from Gus Janeway, longtime winemaker at RoxyAnn, who leaves to focus on producing his own brand, Velocity Cellars. Quinones states, "I look forward to working with the grape growers in the Rogue Valley and making my contribution to the growing reputation of Southern Oregon wines.”

John's winemaking philosophy is simple "A winemaker can't craft wines that surpass the quality of the fruit - it's our job to fully develop, preserve, and showcase what comes from the vineyard. With appropriate viticulture practices, desired flavor profiles, balance, and texture can be developed in the vineyard, long before the grapes are brought into the winery." Quinones' stylistic hallmark among his wines is balance and texture. "I am very focused on the texture of a wine. The balance of the fruit, acidity, tannins, etc., is what creates a wine's texture. When the balance is right, the wine is in harmony, and will simply feel good in your mouth.”