Staci Nugent, Winemaker
Staci Nugent is both a degreed winemaker and an area native – she grew up in Ithaca surrounded by the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes. Staci’s first exposure to the world of wine was through an appreciation course at Cornell University, but it wasn’t until after a move to California to attend graduate school for genetics that Staci decided she wanted to switch careers. “While on a winery tour in the Edna Valley, I met a winemaker that had a science background very similar to my own. I was already working weekends at a winery in Gilroy but hadn't realized how strongly I wanted to do more.”Staci entered the wine program at the University of California at Davis and received her Master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology. She followed with hands-on winemaking experience by working consecutive harvests at a series of highly regarded wineries across the globe: Ornellaia in Italy, Hardy’s Tintara Winery in South Australia, and Williams Selyem in Sonoma, California. The constant travel left Staci eager to return home to the Finger Lakes and “learn how to make wine where Mother Nature can be a true challenge.”
Prior to joining Keuka Lake Vineyards in 2008, Staci was winemaker at Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars where she quickly appreciated the importance of working with estate grown fruit in the finicky climate of Finger Lakes. She is now passionate about making wine on a small scale here at Keuka Lake Vineyards, “I enjoy getting my hands dirty and being part of the entire process. We have good quality grapes and a wonderful group of people…KLV is pretty special.”