To some people, making wine and music may not have much in common, but not to Elias Fernandez.

“There’s an intuitive aspect to music and it’s the same with wine,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez, who first attended college on a Fulbright music scholarship, identifies with the artistic side of winemaking. “Sometimes decisions are based on gut feel,” the Shafer Vineyards winemaker said.

“I think that’s what helped me to make better wine.”

Which three people would you most like to have dinner with?

From sports, John Madden; from music, Herb Alpert; and from the wine world, André Tchelistcheff.

What job would you like to try/not like to try?

I’ve always thought I’d enjoy being a veterinarian. And I’m 100 percent certain I would not want to work in politics.   

 

What was your first job?

As a kid here in the Valley, I picked walnuts and prunes. My first professional job was working at Shafer Vineyards, where I was first hired in 1984 as assistant winemaker. In 1994, I was named winemaker, and I’ve been here ever since.

How did you get into this business?

I grew up in the Valley and after graduating from high school in St. Helena, I couldn’t wait to get out of here. But at some point toward the end of that first year in college (at University of Nevada, Reno), I came home for a visit and it dawned on me that the valley was a beautiful place to live and that making wine would offer some fun challenges. I transferred to UC Davis, studied winemaking, and then applied for a job at Shafer Vineyards about three weeks prior to graduation. I came out of Davis in 1984, right when the wine industry started taking off. Then we started to apply science and technology to wine and vineyards and the whole wine industry as a whole got better. 

Whom do you most admire in the business world?

John Shafer because of his hard work and dedication both to the winery and our community.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime that you haven’t yet?

Get my three boys through “teenage-hood” and college.

If you could change one thing about your business, what would it be?

It’d be great if the weather could be the same every year. That would make my job a lot easier. That’s where experience comes into play. 

What’s something people might be surprised to know about you?

I first entered college on a Fulbright music scholarship (I played the trumpet). My mom signed me up for music class in third grade. “Why do I have to do that,” I said. But I ended up liking it and played music from third grade into college. I played in the jazz band in St. Helena High School. Then I was the first in my family to go to college.

I don’t play as much today. I get my artistic satisfaction from making wine.

If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be? 

On the beach at Cancun.

What other business person(s) would you like to see featured in “10 Questions?”

Tom Kisabeth at California Glass Company.

More from Elias Fernandez

What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

In the mid 1980s, just coming into the profession, learning how to make great wine — consistently.

I can’t live without: My wife and three boys.

What’s on your to-do list?

Put together a living will.

What’s the worst job you ever had?

Picking walnuts and prunes.

What was your childhood ambition?

To stop picking walnut and prunes.

What’s one thing Napa could do to help local business?

Continue to promote this area as a destination.

What’s the most significant project you’ve been involved with in your career?

After 25 years making wine is still a project that’s unfolding.

What’s your favorite gift to give?

Wine.

What is your favorite charity?

Calistoga Education Foundation.

Each Wednesday, the Napa Valley Register’s Business Focus asks “10 Questions” of a local entrepreneur or businessperson. Readers are welcome to suggest business people to be profiled. To suggest a candidate for “10 Questions” e-mail: jhuffman@napanews.com