Hans Van Dale
Cellarmaster - Red Wine

Born and raised in the coastal community of Aptos, California, Hans attended Aptos High School where he was an outstanding athlete.  Hans moved to San Diego to attend the University of California at San Diego where he continued his athletic career as a varsity intercollegiate athlete.

Hans competed for UCSD in track & field as a hammer and discus thrower while at the same time earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.  Hans graduated as a highly successful student-athlete in 2005.

Hans has the day-to-day responsibility for caring for all of our red wines at our winery on the Mayacamas Estate.  After the vigorous effort at harvest, Hans spends most of his days caring for our wines by working underground in our caves racking, blending, and preparing wines for bottling. 

Hans had held only odd jobs as camp counselor, bartender, and construction worker until he joined Cakebread Cellars in the Napa Valley as an intern in 2006. The internship led to a full time position, which continued until he came to Long Meadow Ranch at the beginning of 2011. While at Cakebread Cellars, Hans mastered the key tasks involved in working in the cellar of a high quality wine producer. 

Thanks to a leave of absence granted by Cakebread in 2008, Hans gained additional experience during harvest in Marlborough, New Zealand.  His international travels have also included time traveling in South America where he visited Chile, Peru, Brazil, and Argentina. His hobbies include skiing, mountain biking, and backpacking. And, like most of his colleagues at Long Meadow Ranch, he enjoys eating and drinking.

Hans lives in a converted barn on the ranch near our E.J. Church Vineyard, overlooking Rutherford from an elevation of about 1400 feet. His less-than-a-mile commute involves no traffic other than our abundant wildlife.