Ryan Prichard

Director of Winemaking

Ryan grew up in Northern California, so it isn’t a surprise that he fell in love with wine, but his passion for wine ignited while he was 3,000 miles away in New York as a student of Cornell University. He enrolled in a wine appreciation course which opened his eyes to the vast world of wine. His subsequent travels revealed that wine is so much more than the product in the bottle – it is a representation of different cultures, terroirs and their histories. Ryan realized that as a winemaker, he could spend his life weaving together agriculture, art, culture and science, capturing the essence of place and time. While in Colorado, he completed the UC Davis Certificate Program in Winemaking and decided to move back to California and begin winemaking full-time.

Since his return to California, Ryan has worked alongside many esteemed winemakers in various Sonoma County wineries including Williams Selyem, Copain Custom Crush, Medlock Ames and Graft Wines, and is concurrently the Winemaker at Flambeaux Wine in Dry Creek Valley.

Ryan joined Three Sticks Wines as Winemaker in 2015 alongside Director of Winemaking, Bob Cabral. His focus is crafting pinot noir and chardonnay that showcase Three Sticks’ exceptional estate vineyard sites, producing wines of distinction and acclaim. Ryan conceptualizes winemaking as an endeavor in balancing contrasts, “you must be precise yet flexible; organic yet by design; create for immediate gratification yet stand the test of time”. Ryan was recently awarded the highest wine industry honor by LuxeSF and San Francisco Magazine, the 2020 Rising Star: Winemaker of the Year award.

As we forge ahead in a new and different economic and societal landscape, Ryan hopes wine can play a small part in bringing comfort, understanding and connections to people in our communities. He resides in Santa Rosa, CA with his wife, two kids and rascally dog.