Director, Public Relations & Hospitality, The Hess Collection, Napa, CA

Jim Caudill oversees public relations and hospitality for The Hess Collection, including sister wineries on four continents, including Peter Lehmann (Australia), Glen Carlou (South Africa), Colomé and Amalaya (Argentina) as well as Pinot Noir specialists Sequana and MacPhail Family Wines and Mendocino’s Artezin. His work in the tourism industry early in his career, where the intersection of food & wine was well underway, led to his interest in wine and a now two-decade old career as consultant and in-house marketing communications director for several notable wine companies, wine organizations and wineries. He began his career as a newspaper reporter, and continues to contribute to trade magazines as a journalist. His assignments have taken him to wine growing regions in France, Italy, Chile and Argentina, as well as throughout California. He has judged regularly at the San Francisco Chronicle, Grand Harvest, West Coast Wine, International Eastern and Green wine competitions and is a member of the Wine Century Club.