Sarah Vandendriessche

The Path

Since 2010, Sarah Vandendriessche has been winemaker of Elizabeth Spencer Winery, a position defined by continuity rather than churn. Staying with one winery for that long means the work accumulates in layers: seasonal changes, repeated choices, and a consistent standard carried forward over time.

The Work Today

In her current role, Vandendriesshe oversees every step of the winemaking process at Elizabeth Spencer Winery, holding the practical side of the work together from beginning to finish. Her thinking starts well before bottling, in the vineyard and in the relationships that support it. "Trusting the farmers growing the grapes is everything," she says, and that line gets at the structure of the trade: the cellar can only shape what the farm has already made possible. For Vandendriessche, wine is part of the table, not separate from it. She puts that simply: "Wine, like food, is meant to be shared and savored." It is a useful standard for the trade. Wine is made to be opened, poured, and used in company, where its value is measured not only in technique but in how it holds up alongside food and conversation.

In Their Words “Trusting the farmers growing the grapes is everything.” “Wine, like food, is meant to be shared and savored.”

Acclaim

The main measure of her work is duration: Sarah Vandendriessche has held the winemaker role at Elizabeth Spencer Winery in Rutherford since 2010. That span keeps farming relationships, cellar decisions, and finished wines under one consistent hand. In a field that often rewards movement, her tenure reads as steadiness applied over time—a long commitment to place, process, and the people involved in both.