Jorge Guzman

Jorge Guzman is a Yountville native. He moved here with his sister from the small town of Oaxaca, Mexico when he was 7 years old. His grandparents raised them, as his mom passed away during his birth. His grandmother has been somewhat of a guardian angel in his life and he acknowledges her as his mother. “She was a BIG influence in my life.”

He grew up working in the vineyards with his family. “I remember working in Howell Mountain Vineyard during the summertime.” He proudly collected his first paycheck at 13 years old.

“I made $700! That was a lot of money at that time. I had planned in my mind what I was going to buy with it.”

Being that he was so young, his grandmother kept it safe for him.

“Hmmmmm.”, he says with a heartfelt belly laugh.

As an adult, Jorge worked as a server in restaurants. The late hours started to put a lot of stress on his family until one day his wife told him that this was not going to work for them anymore.

That’s how he found his way into the wine industry. He got a part-time job at ZD Wines that eventually turned into full-time. He was there for 10 years until he accepted a position as DTC Manager for Knight’s Bridge Winery in Calistoga, then continued his path to Viader Winery in Howell Mountain.

The late nights are now in the distant past…

Jorge hustles for his family. They are his greatest motivator and joy in life. He has been married for 15 years and has three amazing children – 16, 9, & 8 years old.

When he was a child in Mexico, he used to visit the market with his grandparents to buy produce for the week. “They always used to say good morning to everyone!” he says.

He remembers his grandmother teaching him how important it was to help those in need, stay down to earth, and never think that he was above anyone. “Be humble”, was something she said often. This statement rings like a soft cadence in his mind, regularly reminding him of the values he was taught.  

Jorge lost his mom during birth and his dad was never around. His grandparents stepped up and raised him and his sister. “I am so thankful they were there for us, I love my grandma so very much, but it’s not the same.”

He felt abandoned. Not having the love of his biological parents during his childhood shaped who he is today.

He learned to be a tough kid.

“As a Mexican man, you don’t share your feelings, you are supposed to be strong. This is how I was taught to be.

I can be defensive and standoffish because of this. I want to share my feelings, but it’s hard. Letting someone inside is not easy. It goes against everything I learned growing up.

I would say that even though I portray myself as a tough guy, I’m really soft and gooey on the inside. My incredible wife and I always tell our children how much we love them. This is important to us and it’s a value that I want my children to carry with them forever and ever.”