Mendocino’s Fetzer winery names new operations chief as Cindy DeVries retires

Cindy DeVries, who has been in senior management of Fetzer Vineyards for 14 years, is retiring as chief operating officer, the Mendocino County-based winery announced Tuesday.

Filling the role as of Dec. 15 is set to be Erik Olsen, who for nearly two decades has been in winemaking and winery management roles for Constellation Brands in the North Coast, mostly with Clos du Bois Winery in Sonoma County. Constellation acquired Clos du Bois four years after Olsen arrived there as winemaker. It is one of the brands Constellation is set to sell to E. & J. Gallo Winery early next year in a $1.03 billion deal.

DeVries has been chief operating officer of the winery since 2014 and has been with the winery for nearly 28 years. During that time she was part of management teams involved in two ownership transitions, the most recent to Viña Conca y Toro in 2011 for $238 million. Fetzer said she led the regenerative development program, which was involved in the pursuit of B Corporation certification, received in 2015.

She began her career with Fetzer as an accountant, advancing through a variety of positions in the finance arena including assistant controller and director of finance. In 2007, she was promoted to vice president and general manager.

DeVries is among the most senior female leaders of a top U.S. wine company, Fetzer said. Fetzer is ranked the nation’s 12th largest wine company.

“In addition to stewarding operational excellence at Fetzer Vineyards across an array of eras, circumstances and marketplace realities, Cindy has distinguished herself with her work ethic and willingness to adapt to evolving opportunities and challenges,” said Giancarlo Bianchetti, CEO, in the announcement. “Cindy’s capacity to learn and reinvent herself, together with her loyalty and high integrity in the way she conducts business, inform her legacy and leave a truly lasting impression.”

DeVries served on the board of directors of Wine Institute and was a featured speaker at the 2018 National Alcohol Beverage Control Association conference on the topic of the gender gap. In 2018, DeVries was named Green Personality of the Year among global wine and spirits business executives by The Drinks Business, which singled out DeVries for her “single-minded drive to ensure one business lives and breathes sustainability.”

While at a 23rd annual global climate conference in Germany, DeVries accepted a “Momentum for Change” award for climate action from the United Nations on behalf of Fetzer. The award is said to be given to just a handful of businesses around the world each year.

Olsen brings to Fetzer Vineyards extensive experience in crucial areas of management, viticulture and winemaking cultivated over a career spanning several decades at leading wine companies. He spent 10 years as winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington State before joining Clos du Bois in Sonoma County as vice president of winemaking in 2003.

Following the winery’s acquisition by Constellation in 2007, Olsen was promoted to vice president and chief winemaker at Constellation, a role that included oversight of winemaking activities for all U.S. wine production and imported wines, global sourcing, new product development, and winemaking matters arising from mergers and acquisitions.

Olsen holds a B.S. in fermentation science from UC Davis, an M.S. in food science specializing in enology from Cornell University, and an MBA from the University of Washington. Over the course of his career, Olsen has produced dozens of wines rated 90-plus and is a published author and speaker at consumer and industry events.

“Erik brings to Fetzer Vineyards tremendous qualifications, including a deep understanding of winemaking, winery operations at the premium-and-above level, wine supply strategy, and general business,” said Bianchetti, of Olsen. “Three decades of extensive experience and knowledge of every facet of winemaking operations within a complex organization enable Erik to bring a nuanced perspective to our business as a whole, and help us drive toward continued evolution, efficiency and growth.”

The winery was founded by Barney Fetzer in 1968.