RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY -- River Road Vineyards & Winery, recently acquired by The Republic of Tea owner Ron Rubin, hired Marcus Seiden of Santa Rosa as general manager.
“I was really drawn to the general manager position because under Ron Rubin’s ownership, our team’s expertise, and the quality of the wine," Mr. Seiden said. "River Road Vineyards and Winery is primed to become a major player in the wine business.”
He will be responsible for managing operations at the more than 40,000-case-a-year winery, including cellar, maintenance, facilities and bottling. Mr. Rubin, president, named Diane DiRoma as national sales manager just after the late December acquisition. Winemaker Joe Freeman remained on board.
Mr. Seiden had been with Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines in Napa since 2003, starting as a North Coast grower relations manager and rising to senior manager of supply strategy, directing winegrape and bulk-wine sourcing.
Upon finishing an undergraduate business administration degree from the University of Denver in 2000, he became a financial analyst and project manager for Four Star Financial in Los Angeles. He went on to earn an MBA from the University of California, Davis, in 2010.
He later moved to Northern California after becoming intoxicated with the wine business during a trip to Sonoma County. He got into the business as an assistant viticulturist for Sterling Vineyards near Calistoga.
Mr. Seiden is a member of the Carneros Wine Alliance board and was vice president of the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical group from 2006 through 2008.
Santa Rosa-based WinePro Recruiters International conducted the executive search for the general manager position.
