Tony Soter to Leave Napa Wine Consulting Business

Jeff Morgan
Posted: March 17, 1999

Winemaker Tony Soter -- longtime consultant for such top Napa Valley wineries as Araujo, Dalla Valle, Niebaum-Coppola, Spottswoode and Viader -- is retiring from his consulting business. He said the move was the result of a change in both professional and personal priorities.

Soter now plans to focus on his well-established Etude label, a 24-acre Oregon vineyard he purchased two years ago and a new family member -- Olivia, his first child, born three months ago.

"I'm not going out to pasture," said the 47-year-old vintner. "I'm retiring from six jobs to concentrate on three. Consulting has been my day job since 1980, while building Etude on the side. I want to give [Etude] my full attention." Napa-based Etude, which produces about 9,000 cases a year, is best known for its Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. Soter is also planning to release wines from his Oregon vineyard, possibly under a different label.

Soter's associate, Mia Klein, will run the wine consulting business as of April 1. Klein makes Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot under her own highly respected label, Selene. The transition from Soter to Klein should be smooth, as they have been working closely together for 10 years.

Related stories:

• April 17, 1997
  Napa's Tony Soter Puts Down Roots in Oregon

• June 15, 1996
  Hot New Wines From California

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