Nate Weis is the Vice President of Winegrowing at Silver Oak Cellars & Twomey Cellars. A Napa Valley native whose father is also a winemaker, Nate grew up with wine on the table and a drawer full of t‐shirts emblazoned with winery logos. His first job after graduating with honors from UC Santa Barbara with a BS in Biopsychology/Neuroscience was as a “cellar rat” at Groth Vineyards & Winery. Nate then spent the 2003 harvest at two New Zealand wineries – Craggy Range Winery and Sacred Hill Wines – and when he returned home he worked a harvest for Etude Wines before starting grad school. After earning his MS in Viticulture and Enology, he was hired as cellar master at Etude, and then spent two years as assistant winemaker for Patz & Hall Wine Company. In 2008 Nate was hired by Marchese Piero Antinori to be winemaker for Antica Napa Valley, where he made Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot. He also served as winemaker for Aril Wines in Napa, a small ultra‐premium producer of Cabernet and Syrah. 

In 2014, Nate joined Silver Oak. Under Director of Winemaking Daniel Baron, he was responsible for managing Napa Valley and Alexander Valley wine production from grape to bottle and also serving as an ambassador for the brand.

Nate earned his Executive MBA in Wine Business from Sonoma State University in 2014. He is married, and with four children, the little free time he has is spent playing rugby, running and reading.

3 words to describe nature?

Powerful. Vast. Unforgiving

3 things nature taught you?

Humility

Patience

Resilience

3 most treasured nature spots?

Yosemite

Lake Tahoe

Milford Sound

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?

Relaxed and Calm. The Pacific has been the backdrop to some of my most treasured memories and times

When you see a forest, it makes you feel?

Excitable, ready for exploration. The way the redwood forests near my home filter light makes me feel reverent

When you see a volcano it makes you feel…?

Very, very small and very, very young

When you see a sunrise or a sunset, it makes you feel…?

Hopeful for a peaceful night with loved ones or for a day full of new opportunities

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?

Powerless

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?

Like hunkering down and reading a great book

Are you an ocean, mountain, forest, or desert person?

Ocean

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is nature to your well-being?

10. Nature provides me with my profession and career in addition to my escape from my profession and career.

Share with us a childhood nature memory

I was never much of a scout but still have vivid memories of backpacking through the Desolation Wilderness as a young man with my father and some Explorer scouts. I think what sticks out were the senses of empowerment and independence.