Meet the Ponte Winery Management Team

Jayna Warila
Assistant Tasting Room Manager

Jayna is our Assistant Tasting Room Manager with a true passion for making people happy. She prides herself on always giving 100% in order for her daily "reward" of a guest's smile or positive comment on their experience at Ponte Winery. Discovering some creative flair while working as a cashier initially, Jayna now has a knack for interior design as she aides in merchandising many of the Ponte's brilliantly adorned and festive tables. This talent will come in handy as she plans her wedding for Fall of 2010. It seems that Jayna's time at Ponte Winery has definitely reflected in her personal life. After Ponte's Half Marathon and 5K last summer, Jayna has become an avid runner.

Ty Tyler
Assistant Tasting Room Manager

Ty is Ponte Winery's leader in entertainment giving our Tasting Room guests lively tours with his energetic Southern charisma. Originally a minister from New Orleans, Ty moved to Murrieta with his wife and two daughters following Hurricane Katrina. The Tyler family has made Ponte Winery like a second home with Ty being the third sibling to join our Ponte family. Described as Ponte Winery's "American Idol," Ty is known to treat our guests to an operatic rendition of "Happy Birthday" in the Tasting Room. A rollercoaster enthusiast who rides his scooter in the mountains for relaxation, Ty is definitely full of life and always ensures our guests are having a fun and relaxing day at Ponte Winery.

Lana Trammell
Controller

Lana is responsible for all the accounting, human resources and computer maintenance responsibilities. We don't know what we would do without her. Lana comes to the valley from Utah where she has lived the majority of her life. She currently lives in Temecula with her two daughters' ages 14 and 6 and is a true soccer mom (even though the sport is softball). So while not crunching numbers Lana is attending every softball game you can imagine cheering her daughter on.

Lauren Todd
Tasting Room Manager

Lauren is our Tasting Room Manager and Marketplace buyer. Her style and eye for décor is really phenomenal. "What started out as a job has really turned in to a passion for me," says Lauren. "Being able to come to work everyday and use my creative talents to enhance our guests' experience is really incredible." While not creating, Lauren spends her time, well, you guessed it, shopping. She has also just recently taken up snowboarding and loves it. Lauren resides in Carlsbad.

Mark Schabel
Head Winemaker

A wine aficionado for more than twenty years, Mark Schabel brings passion and heart to the Ponte winemaking department. As Head Winemaker, Mark oversees every aspect of every wine that Ponte Winery produces. Before entering the world of winemaking, Mark was selling wine for a distributor. He eventually became more interested in the process of making wine than selling it.

The obvious next step for Mark was to enroll in the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program where he obtained his degree and began his career at the Napa Wine Company as a lab tech working on "wet" chemistry and blending trials for many of the small "cult" wineries such as Pahlmeyer, Crocker, Star and La Sirena. Mark joined Ponte Winery after years of working as the Assistant Winemaker for Scheid Vineyards where he was in charge of their premium label of over 20 different products. Originally from a northern suburb of Chicago Mark now resides here in Temecula with his 4 year old black lab. In addition to his zeal for cooking, yoga and swimming Mark roasts his own coffee which he says helps keep him up on his sensory skills.

Kathy Reck
Banquet Manager

Kathy Reck comes to us with over 20 years of hospitality experience and we are thrilled to have her as our Banquet Manager. Kathy loves the excitement and layers of details that need to come together to create a stunning and flawless event. Utilizing her banquet and catering manager experience at restaurants like Scott's Seafood and King's Seafood, Kathy has also managed events for the USC football team, including pre-Rosebowl tailgates with more than 3,000 guests. Kathy loves to plan parties, big and small, and adores being a key part of creating a wonderful and memorable celebration for her guests.

Claudio Ponte
General Partner

Claudio oversees every aspect of the winery, spending a lot of time monitoring service standards and guest satisfaction. He enjoys working with all our associates and inspires us with constant reminders of our values and our promise to our guests. He resides in Camarillo and visits us once or twice a week, going back and forth in his small airplane. He is active in our local Winegrowers Association, and is a supporter of several local and regional charities (his favorite is Angel Flight). An avid aviation fan, he recently retired from competitive sailplane flying and now splits his free time between his three kids' various activities and the golf course, where he struggles to maintain his handicap. He's a voracious reader (leaning toward non-fiction) , and a lover of wine, food and foreign travel.

Vincent Logan
Sous Chef

Sous Chef Vincent Logan brings his passion for food along with his many years of experience to the team at Ponte Winey. After taking classes at the Culinary Institute of America, this Charlottesville, Virginia native began his career at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. There, he cooked for not one president, but two, Ronald Regan and George Bush, Sr.. Vincent then took his skills to Hawaii where he worked at the Outrigger, as well as the Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui. Vincent lives in Temecula with his wife, who is the Executive Pastry Chef for The Grand Del Mar. They have a cat and a dog and love the outdoors, especially the ocean. When Vincent is at home, he enjoys preparing and tinkering with Asian-fusion recipes. Vincent's talents are going to be a wonderful addition to our kitchen staff at the Restaurant.

Ragan Erickson
Direct Sales Manager

Ragan is in charge of our Direct Shipping Department which includes the Wine Club, Online Store and Marketing. She loves her job. "Who wouldn't love working in a beautiful environment with an extremely talented team while helping guests enjoy a wonderful day in the country - this is truly a dream job." Ragan lives in Fallbrook with her husband of 8 years and 4 year old daughter Ella. She is a home-makeover guru and will do anything to get her hands on a rundown house to bring it back to life. You may also have seen Ragan featured on HGTV's show Designing Cents where her living room was transformed from "nice" to "WOW!"

Karon Cartwright
Food and Beverage Manager

Karon is Ponte Winery's Food and Beverage Manager. While Karon heads the Smokehouse Restaurant, kitchen and event department her true passion is revealed with her wealth of expertise as she heads our Weddings department. Karon brings experience, knowledge, and an overwhelming amount of peace and calmness to our bridal couples. A gardening enthusiast, Karon is known around Ponte Winery as the woman who trumps Martha Stewart. Karon is married to local wedding minister Michael Cartwright. Between the two of them they eat, drink and sleep weddings and LOVE it. "I've been very blessed to choose my career path in this life."

Sara Buzza
Wine Club Manager

Sara is in charge of fulfilling any and all things related to Ponte Winery's Wine Club. Always the friendly people person, Sara enjoys talking and interacting with our Wine Club Members and providing excellent customer service to them. "It makes me happy when I know I have helped provide our guests with a wonderful experience at Ponte Winery." Residing in Murrieta, Sara enjoys dinner and movie dates with her husband of almost 4 years and traveling to the desert for weekend trips with their Boston Terrier, Belle.

Lynn Barnes
Restaurant Manager

Lynn is the Restaurant Manager of the Smokehouse Restaurant. A self-proclaimed "foodie," Lynn is a lover of fine food, great wine, and of creating dining experiences that are unforgettable. With over 25 years of experience in the professional food service industry, Lynn has made flourishing and positive changes to the quality of service offered at the Smokehouse Restaurant.