Behind the Label Clif Family Winery NAPA'S NEXT GENERATION Ryan Hill Proprietor, Hill Family Estate COURTESY OF CLIF FAMILY WINERY How did you get started in the wine business? "My dad has been farming grapes in the Napa Valley since the late 1970s. He currently manages 800 acres in the valley and sells fruit to 40 different wineries. While growing up, dad would have my sister Carly and I work in the vineyards during the summer. Prior to graduating from Sonoma State University, and after working at several fine-dining establishments in California, I decided to start making wine with the family. It's the best decision I ever made." TATE TASTING SALON (707) 963-1781 YAO FAMILY WINES (707) 968-5874 HESTAN VINEYARDS (707) 945-1002 PRIEST RANCH WINES (707) 944-8200 THE ROOM AT FLORA SPRINGS (707) 967-8032 YOUNTVILLE HILL FAMILY ESTATE (707) 944-9580 RH WINE VAULT (707) 339-4654 THE SAINT NAPA VALLEY (707) 302-5130 TRUJILLO WINES (707) 965-2943 VICE VERSA WINES (707) 968-5620 VINE CLIFF WINERY TASTING ROOM (707) 967-9820 BEAU VIGNE (707) 947-7058 GIRARD WINERY YOUNTVILLE (707) 921-2795 HANDWRITTEN WINES (707) 944-8524 HERON HOUSE (707) 947-7039 HOPE & GRACE (707) 944-2500 JCB TASTING SALON (707) 934-8237 JESSUP CELLARS (707) 944-8523 K LAZ WINE COLLECTION (707) 415-5040 SILVER TRIDENT (707) 945-0311 STEWART CELLARS (707) 963-9160 V WINE CELLARS (707) 531-7053 WINE COUNTRY CONNECTION (707) 944-2331 What are the most rewarding aspects of your work? "The most rewarding aspect of my work is being in business with my family. Society is (and has been) entering a realm where corporations rule and continually gobble up the small, family-owned businesses. To say that Hill Family Estate is 100-percent family-farmed, family-owned, and family-operated gives me a tremendous amount of pride." How does Hill Family Estate help tell the Napa Valley story? "We're farmers first and winemakers second. My dad continues to build upon his legacy as a premier grape grower in the Napa Valley. If one is lucky enough to sit around a table with my dad over a glass of wine, one will walk away with a better understanding of farming and how it has evolved over the last 40 years." Information courtesy of Napa Valley Vintners VISITNAPAVALLEY.COM | 2020 97http://www.VISITNAPAVALLEY.COM