Ronald Du Preez
GM/Head Winemaker

Ronald Du Preez – our resident Springbok – has 15 Sonoma County vintages under his belt.

A graduate of Stellenbosch University with a dual degree in viticulture and enology, Ronald cut his teeth on both varietal diversity and oversight of many wines at once, all while managing clonal research at the school’s experimental farm, where he was responsible for crafting over 100 wines.

Ronald crossed the ocean to join Jordan Vineyards & Winery as a harvest intern in 2000. Over the next 12 years, Ronald held positions of increasing responsibility at Jordan, ultimately becoming Associate Winemaker under founding winemaker Rob Davis. Ronald traveled extensively as national spokesperson for the luxury brand while simultaneously managing the 1200-acre Jordan viticulture program.

In 2012, Ronald joined négociant-supplying outfit M. Draxton Inc. in Healdsburg, producing wines for 25 different custom crush clients across five different facilities in the North Coast. While managing production of over 250,000 cases each year across nine different varietals, Ronald achieved 90+ point scores in multiple vintages.

Today, he’s thrilled to be a part of the founding team at Sugarloaf Crush.

“I look forward to partnering with our clients to craft acclaimed wines from some of the North Coast’s finest fruit,” said Ronald. “Drawing on my specialized background focused on luxury winemaking and custom crush operations – along with my passion for making outstanding wines from the world-class vineyards in this area – I hope to be a true partner in our client’s success.”