Winemaker
Roxie Ward
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Santa Ynez, California, United States
i. Biography
From Napa Valley to Santa Barbara County, Sta. Rita Hills, and the Santa Ynez Valley, Roxie Ward’s work tracks a series of technical posts that built toward winemaking leadership. The early foundation starts in lab work at Mumm Napa in 2006, where cellar discipline and laboratory exactness set the operating standard. By 2011, senior winemaking and enology leadership at Terravant Wine Company marked a broader remit, before her work began appearing under the banner of Vincent Vineyards.
The Path
Training at Art Institute of Southern California and Charles Sturt University gave Ward a dual base before she moved fully into professional winemaking. Read together, those schools suggest accumulation rather than a single line: technical training first, then the room to apply it with judgment in the cellar.
The Work Today
At Vincent Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley, Ward makes premium wines with a French influence and uses French techniques as part of the estate’s style. The wines are described as fruit-forward, but the point is not simple ripeness; it is shape held in balance, with expression carried on a structured frame. Sparkling wine sits among her specialties, alongside the still wines associated with the estate. That technical range reflects the demands of earlier lab and cellar posts, where precision was part of the job rather than an extra. It also helps explain how the Vincent Vineyards portfolio can move between styles without losing its line. V Cuvée and V Ranch give the clearest read on that range. V Cuvée, a Bordeaux-style blend from Vincent Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley, earned multiple 90+ scores in 2010 and was described by Wine Enthusiast as a promising, well-funded project. The wine’s notice points to the kind of assembly involved: structured, polished, and built to carry its parts cleanly.
Signature
Roxie's signature wines include V Cuvée and V Ranch.
Acclaim
Taken together, these wines place Ward’s Santa Ynez Valley work in a specific register: French-influenced technique, fruit-forward expression, and a sparkling specialty supported by posts across California wine regions. The arc runs from Napa Valley through Santa Barbara County, Sta. Rita Hills, and the Santa Ynez Valley, with each step adding range, control, and clarity.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Roxie
Where did Roxie Ward train or study?
Roxie Ward trained at Art Institute of Southern California and Charles Sturt University.
What is Roxie Ward known for?
sparkling wine.
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