Bailarín Cellars | Winery & Tasting Room | Sacramento, CA | Heroes — Bailarin Cellars | Sonoma County Winery | Sacramento Tasting Room

Celebrate 10 YEARS WITH US!

Bailarin Cellars | Sonoma County Winery | Sacramento Tasting Room

What Makes You Dance?

Bailarin Cellars | Sonoma County Winery | Sacramento Tasting Room

Filtering by Author: Bailarin Cellars

Raymond James Irwin | Entrepreneur

Bailarín Cellars celebrates those who do what they love. Their passion for life is unstoppable and their enthusiasm is infectious. We celebrate these heroes and learn from their words of wisdom as we chase our own pursuits.

This month we celebrate Raymond James Irwin, Founder & Chief Champagne Officer of Fizz Champagne & Bubbles Bar. Fizz is celebrating its 6th year since inception in Sacramento and has recently expanded to Walnut Creek. It has a strong and growing Champagne Club membership for aficionados to ballers who love to enjoy premium and rare champagnes. Raymond’s love of champagne is a force and has established Fizz as THE place to learn, to enjoy, or to celebrate life events with bubbles.

To learn more about Fizz, please go to fizzinsac.com

 
 

WHAT MAKES YOU DANCE?

"Spreading the Gospel of Fizz!

To me, bubbles are not just a beverage but they are a celebration in a glass; a reason to celebrate the everyday! I fell in love with champagne in 2013, in Chicago, on my way back home from College. I discovered an incredible champagne bar called “Pops” and it changed how I viewed the beverage from a twice a year special occasion libation to an everyday drink of choice! I think everyday is truly a gift from God and what better way to cheers to that than with a glass of Fizz!

In 2016 I decided to bring a Champagne Bar to my hometown of Sacramento because I knew I needed to bring this champagne revolution to others. I knew people just needed a little push to come out of the champagne curious closet. I’ve now been to the Champagne Region of France 16 times, led 6 tours of the Fizztastic region to our Fizz Club members, and have just opened my second location in Walnut Creek, California. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people so filled with a joy that can only come from Champagne.

David Garibaldi | Artist

Bailarín Cellars celebrates those who do what they love. Their passion for life is unstoppable and their enthusiasm is infectious. We celebrate these heroes and learn from their words of wisdom as we chase our own pursuits.

This month we celebrate David Garibaldi, a world renowned artist who is proud to call Sacramento home. David rose to fame in 2012 as a finalist on America’s Got Talent. He has performed at stadiums and arenas around the world for professional sports teams and countless other organizations. He has done multiple tours including with the legendary rock band Kiss and most recently with Andrea Bocelli. His enormous creative talents leave a massive impression on people and make the world a more vibrant colorful place. https://garibaldiarts.com/

WHAT MAKES YOU DANCE?

"Life in Full Color

 

Simply, I love being covered in paint. But the process to get there is what I love most. I always think about athletes, how they always have to put on their jersey to go play the game. No matter what, no matter how much they get paid, no matter what their day was like, they have to put on the jersey, wear it, and go play the game. Being covered in paint, it's my jersey. And I wear it with pride and happiness. As an athlete loves the game, I love the process of painting. Taking an idea from your mind, your heart, and then birthing it through the energy onto the canvas. Paint just happens to be the conduit, the tool that I use to mold that idea to life. But the act of that is what literally makes me dance. And as long as my body will allow, and as long as my spirit pushes me to act on these ideas, you'll find me dancing with paint and covered in it. Thank you.

 

Helen Bacigalupi | Pioneer

Bailarín Cellars celebrates those who do what they love. Their passion for life is unstoppable and their enthusiasm is infectious. We celebrate these heroes and learn from their words of wisdom as we chase our own pursuits.

This month we celebrate Helen Bacigalupi, a distinguished wine grower that has left an indelible mark on the viticultural landscape. Her enduring influence in the world of winemaking and viticulture begin with the land and carry through multiple generations following her giant footsteps. Helen and her husband Charles founded Bacigalupi Vineyards in 1956. Their vineyard gained international acclaim in the 1976 Judgment of Paris as California wine triumphed over the French in a blind tasting competition with Bacigalupi chardonnay fruit as significant composition of the winning Chateau Montelana. Helen personally trucked that winning fruit over to Chateau Montelana with six trips back and forth in their Volkswagon truck!

Bailarin Cellars first began working with Bacigalupi Vineyards in 2017 with just two tons of their pinot noir fruit. We were ecstatic to be able to secure chardonnay a few years later. We are proud to be able to share their story through our wines at Bailarin.

 
 

WHAT MAKES YOU DANCE?

"Growth

I was born in 1925 and grew up very poor in the state of Wyoming - my father was always looking for work so we moved frequently. My granny mostly raised me and taught me how to bake, I still make her famous pie crusts for our family holidays. I always loved learning and knew that the only way I was going to make something of myself was to do well in school.

We moved so much that I never spent consecutive school years in one place - I ended up graduating high school by mail. They would send me my assignments, I would complete them and send them back. At that time penmanship was very important and I also graduated from the Zaner Bloser School of cursive handwriting.

I love to read - I read the Wall Street Journal everyday front cover to back. Reading and learning from others is important in developing your own education. Working hard and not giving up - preserving when things are tough is the only way you grow as a person and in your business.

Our business started in 1956 when Charles and I purchased the ranch [121 acres] which was mostly pasture with some fruit trees [prunes, apricots, figs, peaches, and cherries] plus 20 acres of grapes. Back then, there were only a handful of people to sell grapes to including Foppiano’s, Seghesio’s, and of course Gallo. I managed all the contracts which were often a verbal agreement and handshake. In the 1970’s Rod Strong was one of the first to give a written price before grapes were harvested. This was a major turning point for the grower side of the industry that has continued to evolve.

Seeing how far the agricultural community has come in Sonoma County and how much the wine industry has grown has been a joy for me to experience. I mean I grew up in the horse and buggy time period - so what I have seen in my lifetime is pretty extraordinary. When we started it was such a small industry we didn't know if we were going to make it. It was a big risk, but in the end it all paid off.

1956 First Harvest

Jules Robbins | Tech CEO

Bailarín Cellars celebrates those who do what they love. Their passion for life is unstoppable and their enthusiasm is infectious. We celebrate these heroes and learn from their words of wisdom as we chase our own pursuits.

This month we celebrate Jules Robbins, the Founder & CEO behind VinesOS, an all-in-one DTC wine platform including a winery POS, wine club software, wine ecommerce, and tasting reservations. We have worked closely with Jules and team since initially adopting their club software. As their POS beta client, we have had a front row seat to their development process that never stops. Jules’ tech expertise and passion pair with a strong connectivity to her clients and the wine industry to drive her platform forward. We are happy to celebrate her in our hero feature.

WHAT MAKES YOU DANCE?

"Connections

I'm, at heart, a tech geek. After years of working in a cubicle for the tech giants AOL, Netscape, and Yahoo, I left to follow my dreams of creating a Direct-To-Consumer platform for a unique vertical at the heart of California -- the wine industry -- to lend my expertise from the top ladder of Corporate America. 

It may be odd for a tech geek to be motivated by connections... But there are so many ways in my life that "connections" are, at the core... what makes me want to dance. 

Connections with clients, my team, family, and friends. 

My connection with clients is all about understanding needs, leaning in to listen, and communicating those needs to our product and engineering teams to develop features, continually advance our software, and to enable clients to connect, in turn, with their customers. At VinesOS, we have an average 97% customer satisfaction rating, and we know that because we care enough to connect with every client after every ticket or conversation and ask, "How did we do?". For me, it's about something more than just the technology. Connection is the humanizing element of technology. It's wanting to use technology and what we have to improve things for others.

We are human beings, not meant to be isolated in cubicles, just staring at the glowing screen. In my days at corporate America, I knew I wanted to have a family one day, and I was not planning to bring a child into the world only to leave her in daycare at six weeks of age, to return to a cubicle. When I started my business, I was able to be at home with nanny support during those early years. There's nothing more special than that connection. I was lucky, and so was she. Technology, for me, enabled that. 

Team connection. We are a global team, working remotely, even before Covid. My team is carefully selected for specialized, advanced skills and is in Italy (formally in Ukraine), Brazil, and several here in California. We connect on Slack like some would around a water cooler. Conversations shared just last week: preparing for a big mud run in CA; a new baby on the way in Brazil; excitement to see a favorite Ukrainian band playing in Rome; a sister's wedding in LA; my teen daughter going to Junior Olympics for waterpolo. We connect around the product we build and also as friends. I feel so grateful to have this fantastic team. It's about connections. Relationships.

I came to California from Toronto in 2000, and to this day, remaining close to my family is a huge priority. We are over 3,000 miles away, but with annual or semi-annual visits, phone calls, SMS, and shared vacations, we make concerted efforts to stay closely connected. Family is so important. 

What's important in life isn't just what you do; it's about the connections and the difference you make in someone else's day and life. 

Isn't it the same with wine? It brings people together, friends and family, sometimes strangers, but it's always about connecting. It's the sharing, storytelling, and remembering experiences, such as when you enjoyed the first sip of that delicate Suacci Pinot. And that is why people continue to purchase on-premise, online, or to join a club... (other than that, it's fantastic wine....); it's to bring it home and remember and share the initial experience. Wine, too, is so much about connecting and sharing. 

I feel so fortunate for so many beautiful connections in my life.  

Paco Mendoza | Winegrower

Bailarín Cellars celebrates those who do what they love. Their passion for life is unstoppable and their enthusiasm is infectious. We celebrate these heroes and learn from their words of wisdom as we chase our own pursuits.

This month, we celebrate Paco Mendoza, a winegrower who works alongside his children Maritza, Alexis, and Francisco in his small family business, Mendoza Vineyard Management. Paco farmed Mila Family Vineyards for the Cabernet Sauvignon vintages in a biodynamic manner. This is more challenging than traditional farming methods but greatly benefits the soil, ecosystem, and fruit. Exceptional wine begins with exceptional farming and requires hard work over the course of a vintage growing season. We appreciate Paco and his team for all their hard work!

WHAT MAKES YOU DANCE?

"Growing a legacy of love through hard work

As a kid in Mexico, I grew up farming orchards and working with cattle. So, as a teenager in California, it came naturally to me to start growing grapes here, and I haven't stopped since. I grew up with the Munselle and Wasson families, working with them for 24 years, and learned a lot from them in the beautiful Alexander Valley.

I have worked all around Sonoma and Mendocino county and raised my kids in the industry. I feel fortunate enough to have been apart of starting many vineyards, one being Mila - an organic and biodynamic vineyard in Alexander Valley.

Farming vineyards with my family is a dream come true. I get to do what I love, with those I love.

An ideal day for me is spending it in the vineyards with my German Short Haired Pointer, Canelo, checking out the crews work. I also enjoy hopping on the tractor and helping the crew work, although I don’t do it as much as I would like.

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