Chrissy Wittman of The Prisoner Wine Company: Women Winemaker Q&A
Chrissy Wittman is Director of Winemaking at The Prisoner Wine Company in Napa Valley. After earning a B.S. in Ecology and Systematic Biology at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, she found her love for wine while analyzing soil and waste water samples in a lab, then worked as a laboratory enologist before returning to Cal Poly for a master's degree in Agriculture.
We spoke with Chrissy for our Women Winemakers Q&A series about how she approaches The Prisoner's cult blends, learning through experimentation, her advice for women in the wine industry and a memorable food and wine pairing.
Blending and Breaking With Tradition
The Prisoner is known for its cult blends - tell us about how your winemaking has innovated this category.
I don't put limitations on my winemaking style and look at all combinations to make the best blend that either showcases the variety or blend as a whole. Our goal overall is balance. We want the wine to be as integrated as possible and if that's using multiple varietals, then that's what we do. We have many wine lots and each is a different color, if you will, that adds to the wine to maintain our rich, smooth, approachable style. These are our tools.
What's one thing people wouldn't know or expect about being a winemaker (or your path to becoming one)?
I am pretty open minded and progressive. Remembering winemaking tradition is good but I don't let it hold me back in learning through experimentation when trying to make the best wine. It's not about the way we have always done it.
The Prisoner is an iconic wine -- in two words, how would you describe the magic of this wine?
Mysterious deliciousness.
Advice, Pairings and Her Own Cellar
What is one piece of advice you would give other women working their way up in the wine industry?
Don't make yourself obsolete. Be flexible, open minded, and have a strong work ethic. And don't take yourself too seriously. Laugh a lot.
What's your can't-fail food and wine pairing?
I am not a big food and wine pairer, but I recently had a dinner with one of the best pairings of osso buco ravioli and Saldo Zinfandel. It was beautiful.
If we were to take a cellar dive into your personal wine collection, what would we find?
Not much. I tend to drink what I buy in pretty short order.
Shop The Prisoner Wine Company Wines
The Prisoner Red Blend is the iconic wine Chrissy describes in two words: "Mysterious deliciousness."
