About Us

Our Story

"Winemaking is the only place where the proper combination of art and science leads directly to enjoyment"

Mudita Winemaker Zack Robinson has over 10 years experience in the wine business. Zack began his career in winemaking quite by accident. While attending UC Davis for his undergraduate degree, his older brother told him that UC Davis had the finest Viticulture and Enology program in the US, if not the world. Over a bottle of wine, he said if Zack didn't take a winemaking course, he would be wasting his education. Once Zack took that first winemaking course, he knew it was for him and devoted himself to learning the science of winemaking. While still in school, Zack worked harvests in Napa for the Trinchero Family and with Pine Ridge. This taste of the business stoked his interest in wine and convinced him that winemaking was the right choice.

After graduating from Davis with a Master's in Viticulture and Enology, he set out to learn a diverse set of winemaking techniques and principles. He was invited to spend a harvest in Portugal with Dirk Niepoort, one of the most progressive winemakers in the Douro valley. Zack worked as the Winemaker with an experimental Pinot Noir lot as well as supervising both Port and still winemaking. Hungry to see more of how the world makes wine, he moved down to Australia to work with Leasingham winery making both Shiraz and Riesling.

Moving back to California, Zack took positions with Etude, Mumm, Martinelli, Joel Aiken and Quivira, working with some of the finest Winemakers in California to master several different winemaking styles. After refining his own winemaking, he partnered with Carol Baker to form Mudita Wines. Their goal was to make small lot, premium wines from the best vineyards in Napa and Sonoma. Their first contact was with Phoenix Ranch, who grows some of the best and most unique Syrah in Napa.

If you ask Zack why he makes wine, he'll always say that his goal is to make wines that he can enjoy with friends and family. That philosophy is the core tenet of Mudita's winemaking.