Ceja Vineyards: Amelia Woman of the Year

Amelia Ceja Named Woman of the Year by California Legislature

SACRAMENTO - Senator Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) has announced that he has selected Amelia Ceja as the Second Senate Districts Woman of the Year. Amelia is the President of Ceja Vineyards, and the first Mexican-American woman to be President of a wine production company in the history of New World wines.

“Amelia is a great role model for the next generation of Latinos,” said Chesbro. “She has not only broken the glass ceiling in a very competitive business but has earned respect throughout the wine industry.”

“I’m humbled and delighted to receive this recognition; however, it belongs to all the women that have inspired me,” said Ceja. “My grandmother, my mother, my mother-in-law and my beautiful daughter are renaissance women, and I share this nomination with them.

“The success of Ceja Vineyards is due to my family’s collective effort. We understand winegrowing from the rootstock to the bottle, and our Ceja wines reflect our respect and dedication to our vineyards, she added.

Born in Las Flores, Jalisco, an agricultural village in Mexico, her family moved to the Napa Valley when Amelia was 12-years-old. Her father was a mechanic at a local vineyard management company and her mother was a farm worker at the same company. During the summer and Christmas breaks, Amelia worked there as well. In 1999, Amelia was elected President of Ceja Vineyards. Under her leadership, Ceja Vineyards was named Best New Winery in 2002 by over 90 of the world’s most prestigious wine writers and she was honored in 2004 as the Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc Magazine.