Lorenzo Trefethen Thumbnail

Lorenzo Trefethen

3rd generation wine maker
Trefethen Family Vineyards
Lorenzo Trefethen believes in the power of wine to bring people together. To hear Lorenzo tell it, he was always around wine growing up, and constantly meeting interesting new people. Whether it was friends of his parents from their international travels, hospitality professionals on a pilgrimage to Napa, or attendees of the Napa Valley Cooking Class, everyone seemed drawn to his family’s table. So it was no surprise when, as an undergraduate at Stanford University, he took command of the French Department’s wine tasting course, transforming it from just another college excuse to drink into a more formal, educational experience that his peers immediately embraced. It was this early experience of uniting people around wine that inspired Lorenzo to return to Napa and the family business. Now, among the family, it is Lorenzo who travels most often to support the business, including to their export markets. He also brought some of the innovative Silicon Valley mindset back from college, modernizing the software and hardware systems that support the winery’s direct to consumer sales, and leading a redesign of the brand’s website (with another update on the way). In addition, he sits on the company’s finance committee, addressing both organizational housekeeping details and big picture strategy questions. It is Lorenzo’s constant creative thinking and strong aesthetic viewpoint that truly define him. This was most recently made visible in his contributions to the furnishing of the family’s newly re-opened tasting room, where wine racking of his own design, an upcycled reception desk, and the gorgeous “Trefethen Table” are all on display. The impressive table, spanning 17 feet in length, was constructed with slabs from an ancient oak tree that once shaded the entrance of the historic winery building. Together with his sister, Hailey, Lorenzo represents the next generation of the Trefethen family, steadfast in their passion to uphold a legacy of world-class estate grown wines.

SESSIONS

From There to Here: The Power of Story in the Family Business Speaker

Your family’s past shapes its future, whether you realize it or not. Research  has shown that when parents tell children about how their elders overcame difficulties, the children develop resiliency. Our panelists share how they will shape the story of their reaction to the Pandemic and other crises, and the initial impact of those stories.