distefano winery
Old world winemaking, new world charm
Mark Newton
Owner & Winemaker
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Mark, a mechanical and nuclear engineer by training, began his wine making career listening to a French Cabaret singer with his Father at the Domain Chandon winery in the winter of 1983. He still is not sure if it was the wine or the women, but following that day, he decided to go into the wine business.
After taking a short course in sparkling wine making at UC Davis and spending countless hours in some of the finer sparkling wine cellars in California, Mark set the course to produce a traditional Champagne-style wine produced from Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The first bonded wine was produced in 1984 under the label of Newton & Newton. Great reviews of the 1984 and 1985 wines also produced a law suit from the Newton winery in Napa. Settlement was agreed and the winery changed the name to Whittlesey Mark sparking wine. Sparkling wines were made up through 1990, when the winery shifted its focus to red and white Bordeaux style wines.
Donna DiStefano
Special Events Director & Owner
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In 1987, Mark and Donna DiStefano were married. As a wedding gift, Mark promised to make a wine for his new wife. In 1990 the first DiStefano wine was produced, a Fume Blanc (dry Sauvignon Blanc), followed with its first Cabernet Sauvignon in 1991.
Donna provides all forms of support to Mark, both in and out of the Winery. In addition to raising their two lovely children, Donna plays a major role in the development and implementation of the Winery's special events, including formal dinners and special tastings.
Tracey LaPierre
Associate Winemaker
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Tracey was born and raised in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. While in college for botany, she took a winemaking course, which sparked her interest in wine.
She began working as the laboratory manager at the prestigious Heron Hill Vineyards, under winemaker Thomas Laszlo. The focus at Heron Hill was terroir driven, small-lot Riesling. Thomas was kind in taking her under his wing and expanding her horizon within the wine industry.
After six years at Heron Hill, life took her to southern California, where she spent one vintage as a consultant winemaker for Camarillo Custom Crush. At this winery, consisting of approximately 40 vintners in the LA and Malibu areas, she was introduced to warm climate winemaking. There, she produced micro-lot wines, mainly Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon varietals.
From southern California, she moved to Sonoma to work with Mark Lyon, as his laboratory manager, at Sonoma’s historic Sebastiani Vineyards. Sebastiani is a large-scale winery producing mostly small-lot, artisan wines. Spending 3 years working closely with Mark, in the fast paced lab, taught her many tricks of the trade.
She is delighted to have yet another great opportunity to work in Woodinville, with the DiStefano Winery family, maintaining the DiStefano tradition of high quality, boutique winemaking.
Alla Kostenko
Operations Manager
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Alla Kostenko arrived in the United States from Russia eleven years ago. She relocated to Seattle from Walla Walla, where she worked at Waterbrook Winery’s tasting room and Whitehouse-Crawford Restaurant. She has been named office manager and tasting room assistant for DiStefano Winery. After working at DiStefano for five years, Alla was promoted to Operations Manager and now runs most of the administrative work and manages our Wine Club program. In July of 2011 Alla relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii. She remains to carry some of the administrative duties, as well as sell our wine in Hawaii and work with distributors around the country.
Jaci Kajfas
Office and Tasting Room Manager
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Raised in the Skagit Valley area of Washington, Jaci Kajfas shifted to Seattle for college, and a different venue for arts and culture. She is a graduate of Seattle University with a Bachelors degree in Business Economics and a minor in Philosophy. A strong business sense and a passion for the arts, Jaci has a wide breadth of skills from event coordination, administrative and operations management to auctions, painting and service. With over twenty years in hospitality, Jaci Kajfas has worked with many great chefs and coordinators, private and public. Her calm and caring disposition does not hide the strength and skill to make events come alive. As a sommelier, Jaci loves pairing wine and food as it is just another extension of art and creativity. An artist and a mother, she spends her free time outdoors, in the studio, and enjoying delicious food and wine with her friends and children.
Ralph Ripple
Finance
Ralph was born in Washington DC, grew up in Ohio, went to school in Oregon, and has lived in Washington for 11 years. From the early years, Ralph was always a number's guy, has worked as a CPA, a financial auditor, and financial analyst. In his own words, his wine making background is limited, but being a CPA for 26 years has aloud for a strong financial background.
Victor DeLaluz
Cellar Master
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Five years ago Victor DeLaluz was living in Puebla, Mexico, where from age 8 to 17 he was a professional folk dancer. His dancing took him to countries such as Korea, Italy and Russia. When he moved to US he went into the food business working as a cook with the Bone Fish restaurant. In 2006 he became a harvest intern at Matthew Cellars in Woodinville, where he found his love for wine. In 2008 he approached DiStefano Winery for a position. It wasn't long before Victor was a great asset in the cellar working as our Cellar Master.
George Stevenson
Executive Chef
George Stevenson is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute and The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He grew up in the Southern United States, Belgium, and Germany. This international upbringing greatly influenced his elegant and artistic culinary style. He sharpened his skills working in award winning restaurant kitchens in the Southeast and Northwest, and Asia such as Fuller’s Restaurant in Seattle and The Sunset Grill in Nashville. As Chef of Seattle and Woodinville’s Lowell-Hunt Catering and Banquet Chef of Woodinville’s Willows Lodge Hotel, George became enthralled by the marriage of food and wine. It is the driving force behind his culinary passion. Wine is food and as such, for George it’s all about the food.