Meet the Sierra Vista Team
Jim Czachorowki
Owner
Jim, his wife Sherry and daughter Savanna are incredibly excited to be the new owners of Sierra Vista. Jim & Sherry have dreamed of owning a vineyard since their first trip to Tuscany back in the early 2000s. Jim built and grew a commercial tile company called Great Lakes Tile & Contracting into one of the most successful and respected tile contracting companies in Michigan. Prior to being in the tile business, he spent 12 years working at General Motors World Technical Center as a Journeyman Wood Model Maker, building patterns and models for prototype vehicles. He was also very fortunate to grow up with a father that was a mentor and best friend. Together with Jim’s brother Bob, the three of them restored many old cars, fixed and built everything around the home and work together in the plastic injection molding trade for some time.
Coming into the wine business is a new venture for Jim and his family, but pride, passion, tenacity, and hard work are nothing new to him. His personality traits and business sense are what drives success, teamwork, camaraderie and customer experience. When not being involved in the business side of things, Jim enjoys time spent with family especially their 11-year daughter Savanna who models, acts, plays piano and violin, and successfully competes in pageants.
Ryan Wright
WINEMAKER
Ryan was born and raised in Placerville. While pursuing a degree in Forestry, at the age of 22, he began working part time at a winery. He began on the sales side, then quickly shifted into the cellar, and a few years later he became the assistant winemaker. In this position he began to develop and explore his own winemaking style- with opportunities each year to make one or two of his own wines. Having an insatiable appetite for knowledge in all things wine making- he considers himself a constant student of the industry. His passion for winemaking is only rivaled by his love for vineyard care and management. So, if you can’t find him in the cellar- you are likely to find him on a tractor or in the vineyard.”
Natalie Potter
Marketing and Website Management
Natalie was born and raised in Shelby Township, Michigan. She graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. She spent a few years working in the marketing field until she met Jim and started working at his other business, Great Lakes Tile, as an Estimator. When Jim purchased Sierra Vista, Natalie took on the Marketing role with her previous experience and began redesigning all of the new event flyers, website, marketing materials and updating social media.
When Natalie isn’t working she’s spending time raising her thirteen-year-old son who plays football, basketball and runs track and her seven-year-old daughter who cheers on a competitive team. Natalie’s multitasking abilities, organizational skills, and eye for detail are what makes her so great at her job.
Beka Scher
Wine Club Liaison and Social Media
Born in the Sierra Foothills, Beka has a deep appreciation and love for the region. As a grandchild of a founding member of Apple Hill, Gene Bolster, she has has seen first-hand the transforming power of agricultural tourism. Beka lives in Placerville with her husband, her son, and her dog. She’s a huge fan of traveling the world and tasting new culinary delights. She loves connecting people to new experiences. As our social media manager and marketing outreach coordinator, she is constantly searching for new ways to connect with this vibrant community.
Julia Johnsen
Event Coordinator
Julia was born in California, grew up in Massachusetts, and considers both places home.
She started working at a winery in 2020 because she “really liked wine”, and needed to find a job since teaching yoga wasn’t quite possible then. She soon learned that she loved every part of working at a winery and quickly went from a tasting room associate to a shift lead.
Now at Sierra Vista she will be bringing more fun, exciting, wine-tactic events that you won’t want to miss.
And if she’s not here, she’s probably at Disneyland with her husband.
Lauren Orris
Tasting Room Lead and Buyer
Lauren, born and raised in Northern California, joined our team after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2020. She loves learning about all aspects of the wine industry and sharing her knowledge with others. When she is not at work, Lauren enjoys hiking, camping, and snowboarding.
She always has a positive attitude and energy and provides great customer service to all guests who come in. She has become an integral part of the Sierra Vista team and we are very happy to have her here. She is also (according to her) Lucy’s best friend.
Tracey Wadelton
Tasting Room Host
Tracey grew up in North Dakota and received a degree in biology and chemistry from Bemidji State University. After earning her teaching certificate at NDSU she moved to Gardnerville, NV where she worked as a teacher and school counselor for 30 years.
She has been coming to Sierra Vista Winery since the late 90s when her husband brought her to Sierra Vista for their first date. She has been in love with the winery and the surrounding area ever since. For that reason, Tracey was excited to move to El Dorado in 2015 and is grateful for the opportunity to work at the winery that she loves.
Eileen Sandelice
Tasting Room Host
Eileen lives in El Dorado Hills with her husband, and beloved cat Tibby and dog named Koda. She’s the proud mother of two outstanding daughters. She works primarily as a special educator, and is at Sierra Vista on the weekends.
She is our culinary artist, and can always be found with a smile on her face.
Tracy Brittain
BOOKKEEPER/ADMIN
Tracy was born in Michigan and currently lives in Rochester Hills, Michigan with her husband Dan and their dog. She has worked in bookkeeping and Administration for over 20 years. In 2021 after Covid subsided, she wanted to find a way to incorporate her love of wine into her work & was lucky enough to connect with the owner Jim in Michigan to work remotely for the winery in California. Tracy loves being part of the Sierra Vista team & learning more about wine every day. She hopes to continue her knowledge in this industry for many years to come.
Lucy
Winery Cat
Lucy was a feral kitten who started hanging around the winery and eventually became an important team member. She sleeps inside at night and has food, water and a couple beds, but spends her days mostly roaming around the property keeping an eye on things. She is very friendly and enjoys attention and being pet. In her spare time she likes naps, hunting lizards and voles, and receiving treats for being a good cat!