Wang Fang
Wang Fang, nicknamed "Crazy Fang" for her adventurous and dauntless spirit in winemaking by British Wine critic Jancis Robinson, is the founder and owner of Kanaan Winery, a powerhouse in China’s wine scene. Born in China, Fang lived in Germany for 12 years where she was fortunate enough to be exposed to wines from all over the world. Following in the footsteps of her father Wang Fengyu, a revered viticulturist, Wang Fang returned to China in 2011 and founded Kanaan Winery, at the east foothill of Helan Mountain in Ningxia where she was born and raised. With her affinity for Germany and her love for Riesling, she was the first person in China to plant Riesling. However, she is best known for her Cabernet and Merlot-based blends. Kanaan’s wines have received recognition not only in the Chinese market but also in foreign countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada, UAE, Germany, Switzerland, etc. Her 2013 Pretty Pony, a Bordeaux blend, won a top international wine award.
王方，德籍华人，因其大胆独树一帜的酿酒精神，被英国著名酒评家葡萄酒大师Jancis robinson 称为“魔方女士”。她的酿酒生涯要从对国产精品酒的憧憬与热情说起。12年的德国生活经历让王方女士接触到来自全国各地葡萄酒。而她的父亲是一位令人尊敬的葡萄酒栽培家，从1982年开始研究葡萄酒栽培，成为开拓中国精品酒的第一批人。受到她父亲的影响，王方对国产酒的未来充满信心。2011年，她选择回到中国并在养育她一生的家乡——宁夏贺兰山东麓产区建立了自己的酒庄“迦南美地”。自建立至今，迦南美地的葡萄酒因其出色的品质受到许多国际奖项。其酒款在中国大陆及香港澳门，以及许多国际市场认可：例如英国、澳大利亚、加拿大、德国、瑞士、阿拉伯联合酋长国等……于是，贴有“骏马”酒标的迦南美地中国葡萄酒骄傲地奔向全世界各地。哦对了，为什么是“骏马"？因为这就是宁夏贺兰山的象征!
3 words to describe Nature?
Sun. Soil. Water
3 things Nature taught you?
Respect humanity
Respect the environment
Put heart in nature
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Sunlight
Soil
Waterflow
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Worry
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Complex
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Never seen it
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Beautiful
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Scared
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Lonely
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mountain & Forest
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10+
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I live in a small city near the desert in the northwest. Every time I go to school there will be a sandstorm, and the sky will darken in an instant, and then the sand was dancing in the sky, and nothing could be seen clearly from one meter away.
Vanessa von Bismarck
Vanessa von Bismarck is a co-founding partner of BPCM, a strategic consulting and communications agency, and one of the most established and respected voices in public relations. In the two decades since founding BPCM, Vanessa has been instrumental in building legacy brands and launching brands that today are household names. With a keen understanding and vision for each individual client Vanessa has become known as one of the most strategic thinkers in the industry.
3 words to describe Nature?
Powerful. Awe-inspiring. Nurturing
3 things Nature taught you?
Respect
Connection
Humbleness
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Costa Rica (santa Teresa)
Sachsenwald (forest in Germany)
Hiking in Jomsom ( Nepal)
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm and small, yet worried about the human hand in its destruction
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Oxygenated and Curious. I love the smells of the forest, the pure air and the feeling of life.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Anticipation and trepidation.The feeling reminds me of when I wake up in the middle of the night sure I forgot to do something.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Warm and hopeful for new beginnings. Love.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
In awe for the power of nature.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Excited but also a little scared
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
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Riding through the forest in the summer and going swimming with my horses
Bonnie Hillman
Originally from NY, Bonnie moved to Toronto, Canada in 1989 because she met and fell in love with a Canadian, and was ready to leave NYC. Having worked in communications and sponsorship, both in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Bonnie bought A&C from its founder in 2004. A pioneering cultural sponsorship agency at the time, Bonnie bet that its results-driven ethos could translate to the entire communications offering. (She won that bet and then some.) Bonnie is sought out by clients for counsel both professional and personal, and speaks at sponsorship and communications conferences in North America. She's a leading authority on sponsorship strategy and negotiation, with three decades in communications, strategic planning and corporate partnerships in New York and Toronto. Her current focus is city-building, and finding ways unprecedented public-private partnerships can work to help fund innovative spaces in cities.
Having offices in Toronto and Seattle, and a small but mighty team who punches well above their weight, A&C is Bonnie’s full time job, vocation and passion. Bonnie’s volunteer life has included stints on the Board of Directors of the Sponsorship Marketing Council Canada, the Stratford Chefs School, Evergreen Foundation, and the Loran Scholars Foundation. Bonnie has a great family – two exceptional adult sons, a wonderful husband, and an extremely cute French Bulldog. She is lucky enough to have the best of both the city and nature, so when she’s not walking to work in downtown Toronto, she’s on the dock at Lake of Bays in Muskoka, Ontario. Or traveling. Or doing yoga. Or traveling to a yoga retreat. Or any number of other things that make her happy, usually involving beautiful places and interesting people. And great food and wine.
3 words to describe Nature?
Real. Gorgeous. Dramatic
3 things Nature taught you?
How to be resourceful
How insignificant I and my worries are
How to listen
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The lake my house is on
A specific campsite in Algonquin Park, Canada
A small cove in Greece
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Invigorated and young
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Curious
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
I’ve only ever seen on in the distance, so it hasn’t felt real
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Lucky
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Happy
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Safe
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean and Mountain
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
15
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
A very early memory is being on a beach with my family, hearing the ocean and feeling the sticky, hot feeling of the sand, cooling off in the ocean, jumping the waves, and getting sticky and sandy again. And how when I closed my eyes at night, I’d only see waves.
Nate Weis
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.