It's been over 27 years since Winemaker Bill Regan first joined the Foppiano team. A 1976 graduate of U.C. Davis with a B.S. degree in Fermentation Science, Bill explored the wine growing regions of Europe before starting to work at Foppiano as an assistant to Winemaker Rod Foppiano in 1980. After Rod's untimely death in 1984, Bill became winemaker, carrying forth Rod's love of the grape and his dedication to making the best wine possible.
For the past twenty vintages, Bill has helped steadily build the reputation of Foppiano Vineyards as a premier producer of premium varietal wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah. In that process, bill helped define the Foppiano style, which is fruit forward, balanced tannins, and long term ageability. This is especially seen in his favorite wine and the most difficult to make – Petite Sirah, which continues, to attract fans and praise from around the world.
So where did his nickname as the Rock & Roll Winemaker come from? Well, as a guitar aficionado, heavily influenced by the sound of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Joe Satrani and Steve Vai, Bill's wines can't help but rock, especially when the fine grapes are crushed, fermented, aged, and bottled on the rock and roll. Besides making wine, Bill's an accomplished beer brewer, photographer, and skydiver; just the kind of hobbies to keep Foppiano wines on the cutting edge and far from boring.
