It's Women's History Month, and we're honoring all the bada$$ female winemakers out there at Uncorked and On The Rocks: An Evening at Blackbird. This month, join Senior Winemaker Rebecka Dieke as she pours through the exceptional wines of Ferrari-Carano, paired with an exquisite dinner from Executive Chef Travis Watson. The evening will begin with a reception on the patio, followed by a four-course dinner in Blackbird, carefully curated to perfectly pair with these wines.
About Rebecka, Senior Winemaker, Red Wines
Rebecka joined Ferrari-Carano in 2004 as an Enologist, but it all began at Humboldt State University where Rebecka studied Cellular and Molecular Biology with the plan to become an optometrist. After graduating in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree, Rebecka quickly changed her focus to winemaking. In 2000, Rebecka broke into the world of winemaking as an intern at Jordan Vineyards and Winery, and was quickly hired on as a full time lab technician, followed by a promotion to Assistant Enologist.
Following her two years as the Enologist at Ferrari-Carano, Rebecka became the Assistant Winemaker in 2006. Furthering her education in 2012, she completed the University of California Davis Winemaking Certificate Program and was Ferrari-Carano’s Associate Winemaker overseeing the Pinot Grigio and Zinfandel Wine Programs. In early 2014, Rebecka was promoted to Associate Winemaker and in 2021 to Senior Winemaker, where she now oversees Ferrari-Carano’s Red Wines Programs, including the PreVail wines, and the mountain winery production facility in Alexander Valley.
Chef Travis Watson
As a former University of Arizona football player, "chef" seems like an unlikely career choice for a guy who also loves competition shooting and Brazilian jiujitsu. But then he was inspired at 14 by his first football coach who was also an Executive Chef at a restaurant where Watson was employed as a dishwasher. Cooking seemed much cooler and definitely more fun, and once he was promoted to prep cook a few months later, the die was cast.
After high school, Watson attended Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Upon graduation, he did an impressive externship under Chef Jacques Paccard in Paris. Upon his return to the States, enrolled in the University of Arizona in Tucson. Bit by the travel bug, he spent summers and the years after graduation traveling, working and learning in cities like Seattle, Los Angeles and Denver and countries such as Japan, France, Italy and Mozambique. He was fortunate enough to work at some of the finest hotels and restaurants across the world.
In 1999, Watson settled back in Arizona, working for Fox Restaurant Concepts as Corporate Pastry Chef where he was responsible for opening 27 restaurants across the country over the next eight years. He left Fox to take over the helm as Executive Chef of Avalon, where he and his team were named "Best New Restaurant" and "Best New Chef." From there Chef Travis worked at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa, the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, the Stanley Hotel, Rancho Bernardo Inn and now Chef Travis leads the team at the acclaimed Hotel Californian in the American Riviera, Santa Barbara.
