Barry Bergman

Head Winemaker,
Toasted Head

Barry Bergman, Toasted Head’s original winemaker and now its general manager, joined the winery in 1987. Several years earlier, Barry had discovered wine while working at a restaurant in Colorado. Quickly becoming a wine enthusiast, he learned he could earn a degree in winemaking at a school in California. Without ever having set foot in a vineyard or winery, Barry applied to the Fermentation Sciences program at the University of California at Davis. He was accepted, and moved to California in 1986.

Immersing himself in the UC Davis program, Barry developed a love for California wines and began visiting wineries throughout California, including a new vineyard and winery in the nearby Dunnigan Hills of Yolo County. Needing to finance his schooling, Barry secured a job at Toasted Head that allowed him to work part-time year-round. He quickly made himself indispensable and, upon his graduation from UC Davis in 1989, was offered an assistant winemaker position. Five years later, in 1994, Barry was appointed Toasted Head’s head winemaker and, in 2006, its general manager.

Now in his 21st year at Toasted Head, Barry works closely with white winemaker Blake Kuhn and red winemaker Owen Smith to maximize the quality of Toasted Head wines while remaining true to the brand’s idiosyncratic personality.

"If wine brands were people," Barry says, "Toasted Head would be Johnny Depp: an offbeat, left-of-center character who also is a great actor. The high quality of our wines, coupled with the quirky, slightly mysterious nature of our name and label, enhances our appeal and credibility to wine lovers who place a high value on authenticity."
Visit the consumer website www.toastedhead.com