Cassidi Harris

Cassidi’s spark in the wine world started back in 2018 when she worked her first internship as a Viticulture Technician in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in Eastern Washington. She then graduated with her bachelor's from the Viticulture and Enology program at Washington State University in 2020. During her studies, she worked a few different harvest internships, and this is where her focus and passion grew for winemaking. 

Post graduation she decided to expand her knowledge in wine regions and chose to work a harvest with Patz & Hall in Sonoma, CA. This is where her love for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grew, which then inspired her to take her next harvest experience to the Willamette Valley, where she worked harvest with Soter Vineyards. With the opportunity to work on an extended contract, she was able to not only focus on what it takes to make premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but also sparkling wine. With that, she then decided the Willamette Valley was a place she enjoyed and took a full-time job with Union Wine Co. where she worked as a Cellar Hand II for about a year and a half, gaining more experience in a large production facility. 

With opportunities opening post Covid lockdowns, she then decided to follow her dream of always wanting to travel abroad and work in a wine region in the southern hemisphere. She accepted an extended contract with Kim Crawford Winery in Blenheim, New Zealand, as a Seasonal Celler Supervisor, where she worked for about eight months. Here she honed her skills in not only production logistics, but learning how to manage a team and create a wine that represents the baseline style for what Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc should taste like.  Cassidi continued her international education traveling across both islands of New Zealand, France, Italy, and Switzerland absorbing as much as she could in winemaking and local cultures.

Returning to the U.S., Cassidi took a position at Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology program as a Vineyard and Winery Research Technician, focusing on research project management for wildfire effect on wine grapes. She also assisted in student learning and training and grew her passion for teaching others about winemaking.  Willamette Valley and her love for their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay called for her again and that is what brought her to Vinovate Wine Services where she plans to bring her collected skills to the team and share her passion for winemaking. 

Outside of wine Cassidi enjoys various outdoor activities like mountain biking, backpacking, skiing and rock climbing. And if you can’t find her in the mountains, she’s most likely visiting friends or home painting/reading a good book.