Soraya Pisacano is the President of Roanoke Vineyards. A glamorous job that sometimes requires getting covered with mud, scratched by grape vines, and chased by bees. Soraya is also our liaison to the East End food and wine community, and the force behind our programming at Love Lane. After twenty years in the wine business she can recite the international phone numbers of Cadus, Seguin Moreau, and the Bouchard Cooperage, as well as tell you if there is any 2014 Cabernet in the cellar. A fountain of information and experience, and we'd be lost without her.
Rich Pisacano will be the first person to tell you that the secret to making 95 point wines is to stay agile, keep your mind open, and realize that sustainability is only the starting point for understanding the vineyard and one's obligation to it. Rich has 40 harvests on his resumé, and he remembers each in great detail.
Roanoke's lead winemaker, Roman Roth, has made wine in his native Germany, Australia, and on Long Island's East End since 1992. Roman has a special affinity for the varietals we grow, and sees the Roanoke wines as a creative platform. Roman's personal brand, The Grapes of Roth, made Wine Spectator's top 100 list, and celebrates Riesling and Merlot. You can read more about his wines here.
Jennie Spencer is the Director of the Roanoke Vineyards wine club, a critical position in our membership-based company. Jennie knows most of our members by name, and curates our quarterly wine club portfolios. She's been in the Long Island wine business for over fifteen years, and is probably the first staff person Roanoke members meet. She is an avid watercolorist, and paints every day. Look for her first solo painting exhibition soon!
Another artist on our team, George Fernandez spends his time at Roanoke in the vines. His attention to detail as a super realist painter transfers easily to critical canopy and cluster editing. George found himself inspired by Roanoke's late Vineyard Master, Gabby Pisacano, and says he can channel Gabby's energy when he's in the Twelve Rows block (this has been proven scientifically). 2023 will be George's eighth summer in the Roanoke vineyard, but before that he was a longtime wine club member. He is not only our favorite guru, he's a wonderful friend.
Scott Sandell has designed the Roanoke Vineyards labels since the beginning. Scott leads a not-so-secret life as a visual artist, with work in major museums (Walker Art Center, The Brooklyn Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts), as well as government and corporate collections (Pfizer, U.S. State Department in Havana, U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Stony Brook Children's Hospital, The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Doha, Penn State University, Caesar's Palace, and more). You can see his work here.
Roanoke owes much to our beloved Gabby Pisacano, who taught us how to grow Cabernet Franc, navigate life with joy, and work hard for things that are important. Gabs took meticulous care of the Twelve Rows block beginning in 2006, and through the epic 2015 vintage. You'd see him in the rows at 5 AM, sometimes in the rain, and in his last year worked the vines from his electric golf cart. His parting gift was not only a great vintage, but the confidence and skills for the next.