EXECUTIVE team

Jeff Tuttle brings a wealth of experience from the specialty packaged food and beverage industries, and his diverse career has uniquely prepared him for his leadership role at Rack & Riddle.

After graduating from Colorado College, Jeff earned an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, positioning him for leadership roles across consumer-packaged goods companies of varying sizes.

Jeff grew up working in a multi-generational specialty food company founded by his family in 1881. Here, he learned the fundamentals of business, from best practices to cultivating relationships with growers, practicing land stewardship, and creating and selling artisan products.

After college, Jeff honed his skills at well-known companies such as The Pillsbury Company and Miller Brewing Company before returning to the family business, Gedney Pickle Company. As part of the fifth generation, he served for a decade in various roles, including chief marketing officer, president, and CEO, until the company was sold. Jeff most recently served as senior vice president, and head of North America Brands Business for Bellisio Foods, where he spent over 18 years growing widely recognized brands such as Michelina’s, Authentic Asia, and Boston Market and building numerous strategic partnerships with private label and co-manufacturing customers.

Stewardship and partnerships are central to Jeff’s approach. His experience in both family business and custom / private brand development has honed his ability to coordinate, communicate, and set expectations to ensure mutual success. In the B2B space, it is imperative that both sides clearly communicate and work together toward shared success. “There need to be two wins, not just one. Both the client and the supplier have to succeed together. This philosophy is at the core of Rack & Riddle’s approach and will drive its continued growth and success,” he said.

Jeff and his wife have relocated to Sonoma County from Minneapolis, Minnesota. A lifelong musician and published songwriter, he continues to perform with his band—a group he founded with them 35 years ago—as a vocalist and keyboard / guitar player. The couple has four grown children living across the United States.

Superpower:
“A central theme that drives fulfillment and success in my life – my superpower if you will – is the concept of ‘Carpe Diem.’ For me, it’s a core value and behavior: to ‘seize the day,’ live fully, and stay present and engaged. I strive to take action, notice the little things, and not sweat the small, unimportant stuff. I embrace life with passion, including the work, family, friends, and adventures that come with it, because you only have one life. This value shapes everything I do.”

Sparkling Wine Moment:
During his formative years, Jeff’s family traveled to France. His parents, big wine enthusiasts, took the entire family to visit the Piper Heidsieck Champagne house in Reims. “My first encounter with anything alcoholic and with anything sparkling was in the tasting room of Piper Heidsieck drinking champagne with my parents. After the tasting we visited the mansion, the vineyards and the cellars. In 2025, starting my journey with Rack & Riddle, I came to northern California and visited Piper Sonoma, the California winery founded by Piper Heidsieck. It was a full circle moment.”

Favorite Sparkling Beverage:
“I like the pure essence of the drink, so my favorite sparkling style is Brut. My preference with all alcoholic beverages is toward dry, however I enjoy a touch of fruit such as lemon rind in a martini, or a raspberry served with a dry sparkling Brut.”

Mark Garaventa brings professional success which spans more than three decades. His career began in his family business, before he moved on to manage national sales for a large corporation. He then transitioned into the wine business in 2009, joining Rack & Riddle when the company was still in its infancy.

An integral part of the executive team, Mark has risen from vice president of sales to general manager, a role he embraces as he makes it a point to meet and learn about every employee. As a lifelong baseball player who still competes in Northern California leagues today, Mark is a natural team player, and like most committed athletes he recognizes the importance of every team member, as well as the collective power of the win.

A native of the North Bay Area, Mark earned his degree from St. Mary’s College in 1988. Curious and adventurous, he has visited 48 states. Initiatives in which Mark has been involved include the original move of Rack & Riddle to their main Healdsburg location in 2014; company acquisitions including production facilities in Alexander Valley, Geyserville, and Lodi; the development of multiple custom wine brands; and the vast evolution of producing primarily Méthode Champenoise, to adding state-of-the-art technologies, as well as multiple sparkling beverage production capabilities including Charmat and premium canning.

Superpower: Strength, endurance, resilience.

Favorite Sparkling Beverage: Beer is the honest answer, but also am fond of the Rack & Riddle Blanc de Blanc.

Sparkling wine life moment, memory, experience or turning point? When I joined Rack & Riddle, I was not a sparkling wine drinker. Now I always have a bottle of sparkling wine chilled in the refrigerator, ready for any occasion!

Kimberly Benson has focused her career in the wine and spirits category, gaining a deep understanding of both financial services and consumer packaged goods. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in strategic planning, capital management, acquisition analysis and financing, cost and inventory accounting, and leadership development to the executive team.

Prior to joining Rack & Riddle, Kimberly held several senior finance and accounting leadership positions, including interim CFO and vice president of finance at Crimson Wine Group, and vice president of finance at Vintage Wine Estates.

Known for building and leading highly successful teams, Kimberly is also skilled in financial modeling and project management. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Managerial Economics from the University of California Davis and holds an MBA in Wine Business from Sonoma State University.

Kimberly resides in Windsor with her husband, Oliver, daughter, Maya, and their beloved dog, Norman. She enjoys the outdoors, camping and boating with her family, and applying her creativity and precise approach while experimenting in the kitchen.

Superpower: My family would say my superpower is my mastery of making crepes for Sunday brunch, served with bubbles of course!

Favorite Sparkling Beverage: My favorite sparkling wine hands down, is a refreshing Blanc de Blanc. I absolutely love a French 75 cocktail with fresh Meyer lemon.

Sparkling wine life moment, memory, experience or turning point? Our family spends a lot of time boating with our friends, particularly during the warmer summertime months. It has become our tradition to start the day off right, with a bottle of perfectly chilled sparkling wine!

Stephan Micallef is the executive leadership team member responsible for production operations, supply chain, logistics, facilities and maintenance at all Rack & Riddles sites. He supports Rack & Riddle’s exceptional wine quality at every level, while continuously bolstering innovative sparkling wine production.

Stephan is a native of Auckland, New Zealand, where he was born, raised, and helped his father build their family home. He began his career as an apprentice at a large steel company where he learned the multiple, complex facets of electrical and mechanical engineering. More than a decade in many engineering departments created the opportunity for Stephan to earn his national qualifications, and then transition into production and supply chain management before completing his education in operational science and business management.

In 2001 he moved into the wine industry, working for Montana Wines – Allied Domecq Wines NZ, New Zealand’s largest winery, to expand facilities, implement new technologies and support the still and sparkling winemaking teams, with trials and advancing efficiency and quality.

Stephan then moved his family to California in 2005, and for 16 years worked for wine companies including Gallo, Beam Wine Estates and ultimately Francis Ford Coppola Winery, where he excelled with expansions, acquisitions, and process improvements. These skills fit naturally with his move to Rack & Riddle in 2022. In the short time Stephan has been with Rack & Riddle, he has supported the acquisition and integration of two additional Charmat production facilities, successfully guiding both sites through new ownership transitions, while initiating new ERP and business systems.

The nuance of traditional Méthode Champenoise winemaking inspires Stephan, who enjoys the teamwork at Rack & Riddle where he shares his experience and knowledge to employ a high operational standard that aligns with the strategic plan. He enjoys supporting teams in ways that allow them to be creative and focus on continual improvement.

Stephan resides in Windsor along with his wife Georgie, both who prioritizes family and spending time with their two adult children. When he is not at one of Rack & Riddle’s wineries, he can be found gardening, riding his motorcycle all about Sonoma County, and tapping into the home-building experience of his youth, renovating, and doing projects around their home.

Superpower: I try to enjoy the journey of life, and I like building and renovating. I have had the opportunity to build two of my own homes!

Favorite Sparkling Beverage: I enjoy lighter, Charmat-style sparkling wines, and I do like Sauvignon Blanc, influenced from living in New Zealand.

Sparkling wine life moment, memory, experience or turning point? I started in the wine industry as an engineering manager for the largest sparkling wine producer in New Zealand, then called Montana wines. One summer the company launched a refreshing sparkling wine that had a hint of pure Strawberry essence. For me, this was a pivotal moment as I was surprised by how great it tasted and how quickly the popularity grew for this summertime wine.

Manveer Sandhu began his career in wine as a result of both happenstance and passion. Before graduating from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, he was seeking a laboratory position to assist with the financial demands of college. A job posting for a viticulture laboratory position piqued his interest in wine, which led him to dabble in a few enology classes and eventually the opportunity to study for two years with world-renown viticulturist Dr. David Smart.

Post-graduation he worked for Delicato Wines as a lab technician and then harvest enologist, before joining Gallo in Modesto as a lab supervisor. He then moved on to manage the Lodi Winery Laboratory before joining Rack & Riddle in 2011. In that capacity his talents were drawn upon in the lab, as an assistant winemaker/lab manager for both still and sparkling wines. He later took on more responsibilities managing the cellar, barrel program and the production lines.

Manveer quickly mastered the core of Rack & Riddle, the art of making Méthode Champenoise wine, and was promoted to Director of Winemaking in 2020. Today he manages the sparkling winemaking operations for the entire company, overseeing the winemaking team. A job that fuels his passion, and one that he loves.

He credits the mentorship of Penny Gadd-Coster, Rack & Riddle’s original winemaker who continues as a consultant for the company, for sharing her knowledge and accelerating his sparkling wine path. In 2020 he was named the North Bay Business Journal Winemaker of the Year in the sparkling wine category, an honor reflective of both his expertise, as well as the stellar reputation of Rack & Riddle.

Outside of the chemistry of winemaking, which he says is somewhat black and white, Manveer enjoys the fluidity and creativity of the process, noting that a minute change while winemaking can take a wine into a completely different direction. It is not just about the numbers, he says, it is the joy of bridging the gap between art and science.

Rack & Riddle is now the #1 Custom Sparkling Wine producer in the United States, with four California locations: Healdsburg, Alexander Valley, Geyserville and Lodi. A hallmark is the level of quality and care for their customers, employees and wines that remains consistent with the day the company began.

Superpower: One of my greatest achievements is raising my two incredible daughters, who are strong, inquisitive, and talented. They keep me on my toes and bring immense joy to my life. Growing up in a large family, I learned to navigate various personalities, which has been invaluable in my work. I pride myself on my communication skills, teamwork, and mentoring abilities.

Favorite sparkling beverage or cocktail: I’m a bit biased when it comes to sparkling wine. I absolutely love the complexity and sensory experience of a well-crafted sparkling wine, knowing the focus and creativity involved in producing it. As for cocktails, I have a particular fondness for tequila. One of my favorites is a twist on the classic French 75, called the Jalisco 75. It swaps lemon juice and gin for lime juice and tequila, with agave nectar replacing simple syrup. It’s a truly delicious concoction!

Sparkling wine life moment, memory, experience or turning point? My first trip to the Champagne region was a pivotal moment in my life. It was an eye-opening experience, not only witnessing the scale and operations of the wineries but also gaining confidence in the techniques we were already using back home in Healdsburg. Conversations with winemakers and tastings in the region were incredibly educational and left me inspired to experiment and innovate in my own winemaking endeavors.