Katie Bundschu

Coming Up

Fundraising and donor relations at the University of Colorado Boulder gave Katie Bundschu an early grounding in relationship work, stewardship, and the mechanics of connecting people to a larger purpose. That background translated cleanly into wine, where heritage, craft, and season reward the same attention to narrative and community. Today, Katie Bundschu leads marketing for Gundlach Bundschu Winery and has served since 2015 as founder and winemaker of Abbot’s Passage Winery & Mercantile. The two roles sit on different sides of the business, but they share the same demands: operational discipline, brand clarity, and the ability to give a winery and its wines a distinct voice. Her work ties wine to family legacy while keeping the focus on how a bottle, a tasting room, and a label communicate to the public.

Where They Are Now

Chief marketing officer at Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Vineburg, California, Katie Bundschu helps shape how a long-established winery presents itself in the present tense. The job asks for continuity without rigidity: enough respect for the name to hold its weight, and enough flexibility to meet the ways people now discover and read wine.

Career - Leading marketing — Gundlach Bundschu Winery - Founder and winemaker — Abbot’s Passage Winery & Mercantile, Glen Ellen, California (2015–present) - Higher education professional (fundraising and donor relations) — University of Colorado Boulder

Signature

Small-lot Rhone varietals define Katie Bundschu’s winemaking focus. The scale matters: it allows for close attention, sharper decisions, and a style of work where each lot carries its own details rather than disappearing into volume. That kind of production rewards precision and restraint.

In Their Words “I feel like I am carrying the torch for all of the other amazing women in our family who themselves didn’t have the opportunity that I do, yet were so instrumental in our ongoing family legacy.” The line frames family legacy as shared labor, not a single-name inheritance. For Bundschu, the work is about carrying forward what others made possible, with an awareness of the women whose contributions shaped the ground she works from. “My goal with Abbot’s Passage is to be able to put a female perspective on not only the wines I produce, but on the customer experiences we host on-site at the winery.” At Abbot’s Passage Winery & Mercantile, that perspective extends from production to the visit itself. Since 2015, Bundschu has held that approach alongside her marketing role at Gundlach Bundschu Winery, building a practice that connects lineage, hospitality, and authorship without separating one from the other.

FAQ What is Katie Bundschu's current role? As of 2026, Katie Bundschu is Founder and Winemaker. Where did Katie Bundschu work before? Katie Bundschu's earlier career included University of Colorado Boulder. What is Katie Bundschu known for? Small-lot Rhone varietals, crisp whites, and chilled reds.