Clay and Margarita Shannon of Shannon Ridge Winery have announced the promotion of Chris Baker to Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing.

“Margarita and I are excited to have Chris in this position to continue the upward trend of Shannon Ridge Winery,” said Clay Shannon. “Chris brings years of experience and know-how to the party, and we look forward to his help in bringing Lake County and Shannon Ridge wines to more people across America.”

Baker began his career in the wine industry in 1985 as general manager of Jonathan's Uptown, an upscale fine dining restaurant. He has since served as sales manager for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, and as general manager for Empire Distributors of North Carolina; he brings twenty-seven years of experience in the food and beverage industry, wine judging, distributor wholesale management, and multi-state wine supplier management industries to Shannon Ridge. In his new position he will be responsible for national sales, pricing initiatives, marketing, hiring and training of future employees as well as the development of internal policies and procedures to take the wine company to the next level.

"Shannon Ridge has achieved unprecedented growth and expansion during these hard economic times,” says Baker. “This is a testament to the quality of fruit being grown in Lake County by Clay Shannon and his family, and the high quality our winemaker, Mike Wood, delivers in the bottle. In my newly expanded role, I look forward to working closely with our customers and continuing these successes."

The portfolio of Shannon Ridge wine includes the Single Vineyard Collection and Ranch Collection, of which the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon won DOUBLE GOLD at the recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc won the GOLD MEDAL at the 2011 Dallas Morning News and TexSom Wine Competition, the Riverside International Wine Competition, and the Critics Challenge Wine Competition.

About Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery
The Shannons are committed to preserving their land, not only for the great vineyard sites but also for the bear, elk, mountain lions, eagles and other creatures which live there. Of the approximately 1,400 acres on the ranch, only about 35% have been converted to vineyards. The balance of the land has been preserved for the wildlife which wanders through the property from the expansive wilderness area to the north and east. The vineyards were carefully planned out, leaving corridors open to migrating animals and protecting sensitive nesting areas.

Shannon Ridge’s vineyards are certified sustainable, and are known for their woolly compost machines – a flock of 1,000 sheep, complete with shepherds and a team of highly trained sheepdogs. The sheep do an excellent job of canopy management and leaf removal, and pick the vineyard clean after harvest. They also manage the cover crop in the spring and work hard to reduce fire danger in the surrounding hills the remainder of the year.