From Boardroom to Barrel Room: How a Career Executive Found New Purpose Through Winemaking

Tucked in the countryside just 20 minutes from Florence, Mariachiara’s home in Tuscany is surrounded by vineyards—an everyday reminder of the life she’s building. For years, she thrived in the world of executive leadership and financial management. But recently, her career took a turn, one that marries her strong business experience with her personal passion. 

“I’ve had a change of heart,” she said. “A passion has developed into a true calling.” 

That calling led her to the UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education’s Winemaking Certificate Program, a fully online, science-based education that met her right where she was—professionally experienced, geographically rooted in Italy and ready for something new. Through a combination of rigorous study, technical training and meaningful connection, Mariachiara didn’t just gain the scientific foundation of winemaking online—she rewrote the narrative of what her future could be. 

A Passion Transformed into Purpose 

"What really motivated me was a full desire to understand what goes on behind the scenes of a winery—to unravel the process of wine from grape to bottle," Mariachiara said. 

She passed the AIS sommelier exam in 2023, completed WSET Level 2 and is now preparing for Level 3. But her goals extended far beyond tasting notes. She wanted strong technical expertise in enology and winemaking. 

“I didn’t want to remain on the surface,” she said. “I wanted to be relevant, helpful and inspiring and to learn the language of winemakers, cellar masters and vineyard managers.” 

Working alongside wineries, she realized that her passion for wine needed a stronger technical foundation. Her goal was to understand wine from the inside out. Enrolling in UC Davis CPE’s Winemaking Certificate Program gave her the tools to do just that. It helped her forge a path forward, marrying leadership strategy with winemaking expertise and sustainable practices. 

“The UC Davis program was a link between my management history and my future position in the wine industry,” she said. “It was both a passion project and a strategic step forward.” 

Her next chapter was no longer hypothetical—it was taking root. 

Why UC Davis: Marrying Science and Sustainability 

When Mariachiara began looking for a program to deepen her winemaking knowledge, she had a clear list of priorities. It needed to be science-based. Globally respected. And most importantly, it needed to deliver the focus and clarity to turn a vision into something real and attainable. The Winemaking Certificate at UC Davis checked every box. 

"To me, the UC Davis Winemaking Certificate Program was the science-based education that I longed for, and also accessible from Italy," she said. "It enabled me to study online with a lot of interactions at a high level while still working." 

The program’s flexibility allowed her to maintain her consulting work while diving deep into the technical and environmental dimensions of wine. Her background in sustainability added another layer of motivation.

“I qualified as an Equalitas Sustainability Auditor and Consultant, with the objective to assist wineries in Italy to follow a more virtuous and responsible sustainable path,” she said. 

As someone seeking to contribute meaningful change in the wine industry, Mariachiara found the UC Davis program to be more than an education—it was a catalyst for her vision. It gave her the language, framework and confidence to be a thoughtful partner in conversations around quality, authenticity and environmental impact. 

The Experience: Learning the Language of the Vineyard 

For Mariachiara, the program’s assignments stood out as particularly valuable—“rigorous, well-sequenced and thoughtfully constructed,” she said. They grounded her in the daily problem-solving realities of winemaking, where science meets craft and decisions carry real consequences. 

One turning point came during the module on wine production and fermentation management. “Up to that moment, I had savored wine through the lens of the senses and stylistic approach,” she said. “But all of a sudden, it became a living process—one which could be steered off track by the smallest variables.” 

That realization reshaped her perspective entirely. Wine was no longer just a product to enjoy—it was the result of countless technical decisions, environmental influences and human choices. Despite being an online program, Mariachiara found the experience personal and engaging. “The teachers were easy to approach and professional,” she said. 

“Despite the program being online, I never felt alone and was always pushed.” 

What surprised her most wasn’t the rigor—it was the empowerment. “I didn’t just walk away with knowledge, but also the ability to be confident in using that knowledge in the field and to dream bigger about what I could bring to the world of wine.” 

From Knowledge to Action: A New Career Vision 

Equipped with new technical insight and renewed energy, Mariachiara is already shifting how she engages with the wine industry. The Winemaking Certificate Program transformed her framework for thinking, allowing her to understand winemaking from the perspective of someone who has been on the inside. 

“It influenced me deeply in how I think, work and imagine my future in wine,” she said. 

With a foundation in both business strategy and winemaking science, she’s now able to hold informed conversations with winemakers, vineyard managers and cellar staff. “I know their challenges and their goals from a technical perspective,” she said. 

Her goal is to advise wineries on sustainable, transparent and authentic practices. And she isn’t just consulting—she’s imagining something bigger. 

“I have a dream, one day, perhaps, of managing—or even starting—a winery here in Tuscany that in every way represents me,” she said. 

UC Davis CPE’s Winemaking Certificate helped Mariachiara realize that dream isn’t far off. With every new step, she’s building a career that blends her values with her expertise—and reshaping her future one vintage at a time. 

"I feel as if I’ve opened a door to a second professional and personal life—one that’s very aligned with who I am and what matters to me," she said. 

As she continues to grow her role in the wine world, she carries with her a deep respect for the science behind the bottle—and the belief that it’s never too late to start something new. 

This article was kickstarted by AI and handcrafted to completion by the marketing staff at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education, who are responsible for the final product. By combining technology and human expertise, the article is accurate, engaging (at least we hope you think so!) and written efficiently.