Danielle Cyrot explained that as a freshman at the University of California at Davis, she originally thought she might major in physical therapy.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I just started flipping through the course catalog and found one class that looked very interesting: ‘Introduction to Wine.”
She was intrigued, said Cyrot. “My dad is French, so wine was always on the dinner table,” she explained.
“I signed up for the class … and I absolutely loved it.”
After that class, “I changed my major to viticulture and enology (grape growing and winemaking) and started working in wineries making wine.”
Today, Cyrot is the winemaker at CADE Estate Winery on Howell Mountain. She’s been in the wine industry for 27 years.
1. What was your childhood ambition?
I think I wanted to be a painter/artist when I was in first grade. I quickly realized that my stick figures were a far cry from the Mona Lisa.
2. What was your first job?
My first job was working as a receptionist for a real estate agent in Mission Viejo. I usually just transferred the call to an actual real estate agent or sent the call to voicemail. I don’t really know why they wanted someone to answer the phone who couldn’t answer any questions about real estate, but it paid well, and I could do homework in between phone calls.
3. What’s the worst job you ever had?
I had a summer job working at Blockbuster Video while I was in college. It was the most uninteresting and boring job ever. All I did was rewind VHS tapes and then put them back on the shelves. Working at the cash register was terrible! People would be so upset when you told them they had a “late fee.”
4. What job would you liketo try/not try?
Try: Pastry chef.
Not try: Skydive instructor.
5. What is the biggest challenge the wine industry has faced?
The 2020 wildfires that hit Napa Valley, not once, but twice with the LNU Lightning Complex Fire and Glass Mountain Fire were devastating to the wine industry. CADE did not make any red wines in 2020 due to smoke taint. Climate change will be our biggest challenge in the future with rising temperatures, lack of water and a constant threat of wildfires. I am hopeful that we can find solutions and continue to make great wine.
6. What’s one thing Napa could do to help local business?
When you are dining out at one of the many great Napa restaurants, buy a bottle of Napa Valley wine.
7. If you could change one thing about the wine industry, what would it be?
A lot of things come to mind that I would want to change about the wine industry, such as a greater adoption of organic grape growing/farming. Increasing the use of solar power for wineries and reduction in packaging waste or our lack of recycling in the wine industry.
But mostly what has been on my mind is finding a way to make Napa Valley not only a great place to work, but a great place to live and raise a family. Making wine is a dream job, but if you can’t afford to live in the area that you work in, it is not sustainable. I hope we can continue to build affordable housing in Napa Valley while still preserving agricultural land. Winemaking is not a job that is done by one person alone. From the vineyard to the winery, we rely on lots of people to help us make great wine.
8. What’s your favorite charity or nonprofit?
The Napa Valley Food Bank and the Napa Valley Farmworkers Foundation.
9. What’s something people might be surprised to know about you?
I enjoy decorating my home for the holidays and entertaining my friends and family with big dinner parties.
10. What is one thing you hope to accomplish in your lifetime that you haven’t yet?
Making a 100-point wine has eluded me so far. Maybe one day I will make a perfect wine, but honestly, I know better than anyone what went into making a bottle of CADE. I wouldn’t put wine in a bottle I wasn’t proud of making.
