Gianna Ghilarducci is the winemaker at Jett Wines in Walla Walla, WA. She grew up in Sonoma, California, where she was introduced to wine early, helping select bottles for her family’s restaurant. She earned a degree in Chemistry from Santa Clara University and began her career in research at IBM’s Almaden Research Center before shifting to the wine industry as a chemist at Enologix in Sonoma.
She later worked as an enologist at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and assistant winemaker at St. Francis Winery, building experience with Bordeaux varieties and diverse vineyard sites. In 2018, she joined Jackson Family Wines as an assistant winemaker, working with Chris Carpenter across Napa Valley estates including Lokoya, Cardinale, La Jota Vineyard Co., Mt. Brave, and Caladan.
In 2021, she launched Jett in Walla Walla, Washington, collaborating with Carpenter and Vineyard Manager Rafael Jimenez. Outside the winery, she enjoys cooking, hiking, watercolor painting, and spending time with her three daughters.
Media Inquiries: gianna.ghilarducci@jettwines.com | https://www.jettwines.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique & memorable about your winery brand?
Jett Wines started with a simple idea: wine has a way of bringing you into the moment. It slows you down, wakes up your senses, and helps you connect with a place and to the people you’re with.
We didn’t set out with a big master plan. It really began with curiosity. We spent time in Eastern Washington exploring, wandering, tasting, and just taking it all in. What stood out most was the eastern edge of the Walla Walla Valley, where the land runs up against the Blue Mountains and the land asks you to slow down, to notice light, air and space. That feeling of standing at the edge of valley and sky became a big part of what Jett is about.
The other piece that matters just as much is people. Making wine is a team effort from start to finish, and what ends up in the glass reflects everyone who had a hand in it. Then it continues at the table, shared with friends, family, or whoever you happen to be with.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained. Sky’s the limit!
Oh, so many things: a gravity fed winery, producing more interesting varieties at reasonable prices, but the dreamer in me would like to create an interactive tasting room.
Imagine a children’s museum, but for adults. A space where people don’t just taste wine, but play with flavor, aroma, and texture.
There would be one area with fabrics and tactile elements that mirror what you feel on the palate. Another would be filled with fresh fruits, herbs, and spices so people can smell and connect those aromas directly to what’s in their glass. There’d be a room built around sound that explores tone, rhythm, and weight, and how those ideas translate to wine.
At the end of the day, it would be about making the whole experience of wine more approachable and fun.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and winemaking style? Tell us its story.
Our Skysill Cabernet is the most emblematic expression of our brand and our winemaking philosophy because it allows place to speak clearly and without ornament.
Cabernet Sauvignon is exceptionally skilled at translating sites, and Skysill Vineyard gives it a voice that is both precise and powerful. The vineyard’s intensity, exposure, and natural balance consistently produce fruit with depth, structure, and remarkable purity. Read my review of this excellent Cab here.
Bonus Question: What’s the one thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
When I am not making wine, or cheering on my three daughters in their pursuits, I love to cook and paint. Both are forms of mediation for me, and an outlet, outside of winemaking, to express creativity. I often relate to color, flavor and texture that we experience in art and cooking when I am putting final wine blends together.