Clark Smith
Owner and Winemaker
Clark Smith has been in the wine industry since 1972 and making wine since 1976. Besides producing an eclectic mix of wines under and his own WineSmith label, he has dedicated for four decades his widely varied talents as a consulting winemaker, inventor, author, musician, and teacher to the Wine Industry throughout the globe with a particular focus on supporting small winery businesses. Besides service to small winery business throughout the country, we also work to support the Sonoma community.
Highlights include:
2018 named among the 48 Most Influential People in the Wine Industry.
Wine Business Monthly 2016 Innovator of the Year
Postmodern Winemaking named Wine and Spirits magazine’s 2013 Book of the Year
2017-PRESENT Founder and coordinator, International Smoke Taint Collaborative Working Group
2017 – PRESENT President, Redwood Chordsmen Barbershop Harmony Chapter, Santa Rosa
2018 – PRESENT Coordinator, Sonoma County Youth Harmony Day Camp featuring Deke Sharon
Sandra Johnson
Office Queen and Assistant Winemaker
Sandra’s passion for wine first began as a server at fine dining establishment in 1999. During her training, Sandra had the pleasure to visit beautiful vineyards throughout Sonoma and Napa Counties, meeting winemakers and learning basic winemaking practices. Exploring and learning about winemaking led Sandra to another passion, Event Planning and later to her dream career with WineSmith.
Sandra enrolled in a Business and Hospitality program in Santa Rosa in 2006. After graduating, she moved forward in her career as event coordinator for some of Sonoma County’s most popular wedding destinations. She took leave from hospitality to raise her two beautiful boys and explore a career in the caretaking field.
Life’s journey eventually led Sandra to WineSmith Wines & Consulting, starting as an office assistant in 2016. After two years of learning the business ropes, compliance processes, winemaking processes, and customer service, Clark offered to mentor Sandra and mold her into his own homegrown assistant winemaker.
As assistant winemaker to one of the industry’s most influential people, Sandra oversees all aspects of managing day-to-day operations from composing harvest contracts, vineyard oversight, harvest, procurement, inventory management and cost-of-goods tracking through bottling, marketing, sales and customer relations.
RuthE Wells
Muse and Money Manager
A lot of winemakers started out doing something else. So did I. After a couple of years watching my new husband juggling the responsibilities of winemaker and business owner, I saw where my organizational experience and penchant for numbers could support him. So in 2019 I took the plunge and started learning the business side of winemaking. Believe me, if I can do it, you can, too.
I will teach you the tools we use to integrate bookkeeping, production and marketing aspects of winemaking to build solid business plans containing smart pricing driven by accurate cost of goods and your sales goals. I can show you how to implement daily prioritization of your cashflow as well as our systems for monthly cashflow projections 2-5 years into the future.
In addition to my financial responsibilities, I draw on my background in the arts to contribute to marketing campaigns our team creates together.
I hold a Bachelors degree in Business Administration/Fine Arts and a Masters degree in Arts Administration. I have worked in organizational governance as board secretary for both local and national organizations with department budgetary responsibilities of up to $4M. In addition, I bring considerable marketing and public relations skills to WineSmith from my nonprofit career with both large and small theater and opera companies.