At ONEHOPE, wine has always been about more than what fills the glass. In honor of International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women who help shape our wines, experiences, and purpose-driven mission by answering one simple yet powerful question: Why wine? From winemaking and culinary artistry to design, hospitality, and leadership, each perspective reveals how wine connects science and creativity, people and place, and passion and impact. Together, their stories highlight the heart of ONEHOPE Winery and the many ways women continue to shape the future of wine through community, craftsmanship, and meaning.
Isadora Frias | Winemaker
I initially didn’t choose wine - it found me before I fully understood it. With a background in Food Engineering, I was always drawn to working with something essential, something rooted in science and fundamental to human life. But wine is more than sustenance. It transforms agriculture into experience, chemistry into character, and time into expression. It’s shaped by place, discipline, and intention, yet each bottle is special and ultimately meant to be shared. That intersection of precision and emotion, of structure and story, is why I keep choosing wine everyday.
Megan Kloberdanz | Art Director | Interior & Experience Design
Wine and design have long spoken the same language in my life. Both begin with place - with soil, with light, with history. And both are shaped by the hands that tend them. While others on our team craft the taste and hospitality of a wine, I’m drawn to translating its spirit visually: to capturing the warmth of the sun on the vines, the texture of the earth, the romance of a table set with intention.
Some of the most magical moments of my life have unfolded at this intersection: watching the shadows of clouds drift across a vineyard in Tuscany, getting lost in the architectural wonder of centuries-old villages in France. In those moments, wine becomes more than something in a glass; it becomes atmosphere, memory, artistry.
From vessels that once carried wine across centuries to images that express flavor through shadow, tone, and movement, my work is about feeling. It’s about letting someone stand in a space, or scroll past an image, and sense the heartbeat of where that wine was born.
So why wine? Because where wine and design meet, there is story, beauty, and soul, and bringing that magic to people fills me completely.
Angelique Ball | General Manager
I have a few parallel reasons for working in the wine industry. First, I love meeting new people every day who are discovering the joys, history, and techniques of winemaking. Sharing the fascinating stories behind not only ONEHOPE’s wines but also what makes Napa Valley and other world-renowned wine regions so special feels like sharing a gift of knowledge and appreciation.
My connection to wine is also personal. I’m proud to have grown up in Napa Valley, and I love being able to showcase the place I call home to others.
And finally, I simply love wine! It brings people together, enhances a great meal, and is something I truly enjoy sharing with others.
Jenny Kawachi | Administrative Chief of Staff
Wine, to me, is a connector. It brings people together in a way that feels natural and meaningful. It creates space for conversation, bonding, celebration, and shared stories. I’ve always loved the experience of helping people slow down, enjoy each other’s company, and feel more connected in the moment.
That’s why working in the wine industry feels so rewarding. It’s not only about enjoying our beautifully crafted wine, but about what it represents: community, hospitality, and memorable experiences.
Working at ONEHOPE is especially fulfilling because it brings together two things I care deeply about. I get to be part of that connection while also contributing to something bigger. ONEHOPE’s purpose-driven mission adds an extra layer of meaning to my day-to-day work, knowing that what I do can truly help improve someone else’s life.
Jill Jacobs | Sous Chef
