Riley Flanagan
2023 Women in Wine Awards: Rising Star
Examples of leadership and career impact: “My dad allowed me to follow my vision, which led to creating my own wine brand at age 17. I have constantly worked to overcome the challenges associated with starting at such a young age,” said Flanagan.
Developing a personal brand gave Flanagan the strength to believe in her own individuality.
“I concentrate on making wines that fit my style and tastes. Developing Riley’s Rows 3x3 Red Blend wine that spoke to me was both exciting and empowering.”
Flanagan’s greatest achievement has been building long-term relationships with restaurants, country clubs, and customers for Riley’s Rows while hosting events and sharing my story with people all over the country.
“I’m proud and grateful to be considered a real vintner and to be able to forge my own place in this wonderful industry,” she said.
Being an industry Rising Star: “It means sticking to what I believe in rather than conforming,” said Flanagan. “While I’m incredibly grateful for the guidance and support received, I know that my wines and brand have to be a reflection of me and my beliefs.”
Flanagan said part of being a Rising Star is realizing she is nowhere near done.
“People have taken a chance on me and my wines. It is my responsibility to constantly work to earn that. It is also important that I do my part in giving back and creating opportunities for others.”
Flanagan is committed to the Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County and its 11 preschool programs.
About Riley and the companies
Flanagan Wines was born out of Eric Flanagan’s love for wine. He visited wine growing regions around the world, from New Zealand to Greece. He was fascinated by how the changes in soils and climate created different styles of wine from same grape variety. This led to an interest in vineyard sites and to a focus on the soils and the climates that made each unique.
In 1999 Flanagan purchased 40 acres on the heights of Sonoma County’s Bennett Mountain. Flanagan and his daughter Riley planted the company’s first grapevine.
Three years later they made the first wine: a barrel of cabernet sauvignon called Riley’s Rows. Riley Flanagan dreamed of being in the wine industry ever since.
In 2016 Eric Flanagan purchased a great site just outside Healdsburg, redeveloped the vineyards and moved production to the new winery. The family now produces wines from several of the most highly regarded vineyards in Sonoma County.
In 2017 while working as the summer intern at her father’s winery, Riley Flanagan realized she wanted to bring back the Riley’s Rows brand and make it her own. Her goal: Make intentional, well-made wines that are accessible to a wide range of wine drinkers.
In 2021 she completed a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to run sales in the Midwest and the South.
After two years there, she moved to San Diego in June 2023 to help develop the Riley Row’s brand presence in Southern California and be closer to home. My plan is to split my time between Southern California, my different sales markets, and the winery in Healdsburg, California. I am a vintner, like my dad, and I always set the directions for my wines and do my own final blends.
Riley Flanagan
Flanagan Wines, Riley’s Rows
Sonoma County
Assistant sales manager, Flanagan Wines
435 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Phone: 707-723-8800
Website: flanaganwines.com
Owner, Riley’s Rows
Phone: 707-326-4828
Website: rileysrows.com