Lee Stipp was raised in Edna Valley, in the heart of California’s Central Coast Wine Country. By the time he was old enough to think about a career, he knew his passion for the grape--its journey from the ground to the glass, and the business behind it-- predestined him for a life in the wine business.

He focused his studies on everything-wine while earning his degree in Agribusiness Marketing at Cal Poly. The university owns over 25 acres of vineyards, where he spent a great deal time of hands-on time learning about the importance of soil, climate, clones, root stock, trellising, crop yields, and harvest and how they are the bases of all great wines. At the same time, he enjoyed his first job in the wine industry, at Maison Deutz Winery.

After college he continued to get his hands dirty.

In 1994, Lee accepted the position of Northern California Sales manager for a growing RH Phillips Vineyard.  He quickly made an impact. His success led to a promotion to Western Regional Sales Manager where he increased his strategic role.  “I started implementing my own market strategy to increase the sales as well as improve the image of the brand.  The market was moving up and I positioned the brand to follow this consumer trend.”  The winery noticed and Lee was on to his next challenge.

Taking over the marketing duties, Lee worked directly with the owners of RH Phillips and executed their vision.  “RH Phillips was known for making affordable, quality wines.  However, the owners’ desire was to also be known for quality, ultra-premium wines of distinction.  “I convinced them to retain the equity the RH Phillips brand had earned and launch three new brands to showcase the more expensive wines, the most popular being the Toasted Head brand.”

When the technology boom sounded, Lee was recruited by a small group of people with a great business plan and venture capital funding. After a year of incredibly challenging hard work, WineShopper.com was launched.  Lee established the merchandising department.  “The entrepreneurial spirit at WineShopper was a thrill.  I learned a lot about teamwork, determination, and perseverance in our start-up endeavor.”

After taking a few months off to travel and relax, Lee accepted a contract position with a start-up gourmet retailer in Los Angeles and served as a marketing and wine consultant.  After four months, the store (DiamondStar) opened and was on its way to success.  Lee’s designed their world-class wine selection and marketing plans.

Capitalizing on a Southern California locale, Lee went on to become Regional Sales Manager at Napa Valley’s Clos Du Val Winery then enjoyed a brief stint at Renwood Winery which ended when opportunity knocked loudly at Donati Family Vineyard.

Today, Lee can be found diligently executing the Donati’s vision selling impeccable wines to a discriminating wine consumer.  “Ron and Matt have established a top-notch vineyard and they spare no expense when it comes to growing grapes.  And when a winemaker like Dan Kleck gets his hands on such good fruit, beautiful things happen in the bottle.  They make my job easy.”