WINEMAG.COM | 514O under 4O I 2019
Paul Gospodarczyk, 37
Winemaking Professor/Winemaker,
Napa Valley College • Napa, CA
As easy as A-B-V
“I thought winemaking was the best job in the world
until I realized I could be a winemaking teacher,” says
Gospodarczyk. This year’s recipient of the McPherson
Distinguished Teaching Award at Napa Valley College,
he runs the largest viticulture and winemaking program
in the world, complete with a fi ve-acre vineyard and
commercial winery. When not shaping the future gener-
ation of winemakers, he can be found at Bumpy Camp
Forest Preserve in Mount Veeder, where he lives and serves
as the property’s caretaker, maintaining trails, roadways,
fi rebreaks and the water system. Gospodarczyk is also a
Certifi ed Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers.