Roger Carrillo
Director of Hospitality
Before Roger Carrillo knew anything about Benovia, he remembers
stopping by the Russian River Valley winery for a tasting. To his
delight, there was something very familiar about the style
of Benovia wines -- after just a few sips, he was certain he knew
the winemaker.
You see, for years Roger lived in Arizona where he and a
winemaker friend had been big fans of the pinots and zinfandels of
Hartford Court -- where Mike Sullivan was winemaker before
leaving to partner with Benovia Winery in 2005.
Today, Roger is thrilled to be working alongside the winemaker
he's admired for years. As Benovia's Director of Hospitality,
leading winery guests in tastings is nothing new to Roger -- he was
Benovia's part-time wine educator for 15 months before signing on
as full-time hospitality director in December 2011. In addition to
delighting guests with his informative and memorable wine tastings,
Roger now oversees all guest services at the winery, and is
responsible for networking with local businesses and
hospitality groups in Sonoma County to promote Benovia.
A 4th generation California native, Roger spent 30 years in
Arizona working for the City of Tucson, including 26 years in law
enforcement, before returning to his dream to live and work in the
heart of Wine Country here in Sonoma County.
The self-described "wine aficionado" is a Sonoma State
University grad, an avid cyclist, and loves cooking and organic
gardening. He practices yoga and meditation, and loves walking his
dogs and hiking and just about any kind of outdoor activity.
Colby Robison has a passion. Well, several,
actually: Food, wine, and customer service… in no particular order.
This passion led her to Benovia, for which we count our lucky stars
every day. Colby has a knack for making people feel welcome and
inviting them into her home - which, at the moment, happens to be
Benovia Winery. (Well, not LITERALLY. She's not sleeping on a
pallet in the back or anything, but we wouldn't put it past her).
As Hospitality Assistant Manager, Colby greets visitors to the
winery with a warm smile and comfotable demeanor. She
believes that people should enjoy life, and that they should always
feel welcome.
Colby's love of Benovia began long before she
came to work with us. You see, both she and her father are members
of our mailing list and receive their semi-annual allocation of
Benovia wines. How's that for commitment? She loved the wines so
much that she had to come to work here!
A graduate of the Baking and Pastry program at
the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, Robison's passion
for food and wine has led her down a career path of service
excellence. From tasting room to winery events to wine club
management, she has broad and extensive experience in winery
hospitality programs. Prior to joining Benovia, Robison worked for
several wineries in hospitality, including Rutherford Hill, Chimney
Rock, Kuleto Estates, and Foley Family Wines.
A California native, Robison was born in Marin
County, before moving to San Diego with her parents when she was
young. "It's nice being back in Northern California," says Colby.
"I love San Diego, but there is something special about Sonoma
County, especially as a foodie."
We couldn't agree more.