Kristy Charles

Born in Anderson Valley in September 1981, Kristy is the fourth generation of the Charles family to live on the family land outside of the town of Boonville. From early childhood, she took every advantage of living in the country, raising 4-H animals for the county fair, riding and showing horses, and enjoying the company of pet chickens, rabbits, and the family dogs. Working on the family's ranch was just a part of life - working vineyard harvests would come in later years.

After graduating from Anderson Valley Jr./Sr. High School in 1999, Kristy left the valley to attend college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she majored in journalism and graduated with a BS, as well as minors in Spanish and agriculture communications.

During Kristy's first week at Cal Poly, she met Joe Webb. (They married in 2009.) During her time at Cal Poly, she and Joe explored the local wine country, building on knowledge learned from wine courses taken at the university and training their palates for careers in the wine industry.

After college, Kristy worked as a freelance writer for publications such as Wine Business Monthly and the Sonoma Index-Tribune. She soon transitioned into wine and food public relations when she started working at The MacKenzie Agency in Sonoma County, working with brands such as Cheeses from Spain and Lindemans Wines. Most recently, she worked in the public relations department at Wilson Daniels Ltd. in St. Helena, Calif., representing some of the world's most prestigious wine brands.

Kristy now works as the executive director of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association - a group dedicated to supporting local winegrowers and wineries and promoting the region's wines.

Kristy still owns two horses and loves to ride, read, travel, and enjoy food and wine with family and friends.