ED MAASS

Ed Maass : Director of Sales and Marketing

Ed Maass has traveled the world of wine through France, Italy, Chile, Australia, Austria, Spain, California, Oregon, Virginia and Washington.  He has been the subject of articles in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Washington Post and other national newspapers and has appeared on New Orleans radio, Good Day Atlanta TV, and The Food Network.  He lives in the Napa Valley with his wife and two daughters.

Born in New York, Maass grew up on an organic beef and lamb farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, learning farming and business from an early age. He graduated cum laude from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 1987 and then moved to the Washington, D.C. area.

He began his career in wine as a buyer for a fine dining restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia.  He then became a wine buyer for Sutton Place Gourmet, a group of upscale retail stores in the Washington D.C. area, now branded as Balducci’s. Maass joined Robert Mondavi Winery in 1995, moved to the Napa Valley in 1997, and held positions in both sales and marketing with Robert Mondavi, Byron Vineyards, Duckhorn Vineyards and Robert Mondavi Imports.

In his position with Byron Vineyards, Maass worked closely with founder Ken Brown and with fruit from Sierra Madre Vineyard, which Mondavi owned at the time. Watching Ken and others replant Sierra Madre Vineyard to match each block site with the right rootstocks and grape clones, he quickly formed an appreciation for the quality and potential of this exceptional vineyard. This admiration led him back to Santa Maria Valley, over a decade later.

In 2004, with the Michael Mondavi Family, he founded Folio Fine Wine Partners, a sales and marketing agency based in Napa Valley that represents such brands as ‘M’ by Michael Mondavi in Napa Valley; Ornellaia, Masseto, CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino, and Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi from Tuscany; Vall Llach from Priorat; Masi Amarones from Northern Italy; Alvaro Palacios’ Rioja wines; and the estate wines of Artadi from Rioja, Navarra and Alicante in Spain.

In 2011, Maass joined Sierra Madre Vineyard, as Director of Sales and Marketing. Wanting to focus on a specific appellation, he joined the team in order to connect with the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from Santa Maria Valley that he loved a decade ago, specifically those from Sierra Madre Vineyard.

Maass also enjoys splitting firewood, hiking, reading, cooking and sharing a good meal with friends.