Our Team

Nancy Walker – Winemaker

Our Winemaker, Nancy Walker, has had the luxury of working as a winemaker in California for the past 22 years. Based in Mendocino County, Nancy has traveled throughout the region visiting growers from Temecula to Portland and from the Shenandoah Valley of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Through her travels, Nancy has developed an appreciation for the regional and local differences that each unique vineyard produces and with this, she is able to tend to our vineyards with our small growers throughout the state, to produce wines of concentration and distinction.

Nancy is a graduate of the University of California at Davis, renowned for winemaking education. Her winemaking career began in 1984, as a cellar worker at McDowell Valley Vineyards. From there, she honed her skills at many local wineries starting with Geyser Peak (1984-1985) as Wine Chemist and QC Technician. From there it was on to Dunnewood (1985-1990), where she was the Assistant Winemaker for 5 years before moving on to Assistant Winemaker at Clos du Bois (1991). Nancy was then responsible for the set up and operation of the small family winery at Brutocao Cellars (1991-1998).

Nancy was then searching for diverse production and vineyard opportunities, and accepted a position at Fetzer Vineyards in Hopland (1998-2005). She then moved on to Winery Exchange (2005-current), an international beverage company, where she is responsible for the winemaking portfolio of Washington, Oregon and California.

Nancy manages has her own wine consulting business where she advises small, micro-lot wine brands of ultra-premium wines.

Contact Nancy: nancy@trustwine.com

Tony Stephen – Winemaker

Tony Stephen brings 20 years of experience, growing and selling wine grapes to the top wineries in California. In addition to his ownership role at Stephen & Walker Trust Winery, Tony currently manages the sales and marketing of grapes, bulk wine, and winery services for Scheid Vineyards Inc., the largest independent coastal wine grape grower in the USA.

Tony grew up in southern California but moved north to attend U.C. Davis, where he earned his B.S. degree in Viticulture in 1983. He had held positions as assistant vineyard manager for Carment Vineyards (Sonoma County), and managed Brutocao Vineyards, a 600 acre vineyard operation (Mendocino County), from 1984 to 1999. Tony then pioneered the development and execution of the first ever California wine grape auctions, while at WineryExchange in Novato.

Tony and his wife Nancy, the winemaker for Stephen & Walker Trust Winery Ltd., have two sons and live in Hopland in Mendocino County.

Contact Tony: tony@trustwine.com