Our Team








Sandra and Josh Jennings, Sales and Marketing
Josh is a Brand and Marketing Strategist who partners with executives and solopreneurs to grow their personal and professional brands. After spending nearly a decade working in PR and marketing for multimillion dollar brands and startups, Josh decided to move back home to work at the family winery.
Sandra met Josh while they studied together at Boston University. She joined Spectra Winery with Josh as the Sales Manager. With her extensive experience in the sales industry, she has helped Spectra Winery grow immensely.
Sandra and Josh both hold an MBA from Boston University. They enjoy hikes on the weekends and spending time with their two children, Sarah and Ryan.
Sandra and Josh Jennings can be contacted at sales@spectrawinery.com.

Jack Carroll, Private Tasting Manager
Originally from New York, Jack has been in wine in California for the past 15 years. As our resident wine aficionado since 2013, Jack has spent extensive time studying wine both domestically as well as abroad. He is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to wine history, origins, flavor profiles and anything else wine related you can think of. When he is not doing the wine thing, you will find Jack traversing Northern California, fishing pole in hand, hunting for that next monster trout. Jack hosts all of our Private Tastings and Food & Wine Pairings.
If you are interested in hanging with Jack and talking wine, he can be reached at jack@helwigwinery.com.
Jack Carroll can be contacted at jack@helwigwinery.com.

Seth Norris, Director of DTC Sales
Seth was born and raised in California; he grew up in Lodi and currently resides in beautiful Amador County. Lucky for him he’s been in wine country his entire life! Seth came to Helwig in 2013 and has worked in every department since he’s been here. He started out in events, then worked his way into the Tasting Room, had a stint in production, moved into the Tasting Room & Wine Club Manager position and is now our Director of Direct to Consumer Sales. This has made him very well rounded in all aspects of Helwig operations. When he’s not in the Tasting Room, you can find him on the golf course, either out of bounds or in the sand trap.
Seth Norris can be contacted at seth@helwigwinery.com.

Jonathon Abbott, Vineyard Manager
Johnathon is a B.Sc. chemist and MBA graduate with twenty years’ industry experience in various industrial applications including the geothermal sector. He has worked in various business, project management, and operational roles for private and multinational firms. His experience also covers raising capital and mapping growth strategies for enterprises on a global scale. He has lived abroad for 10 years and gained exposure to various government and industrial relations policies in over 17 countries ranging from the UK through the middle east to Asia and Asia pacific. Jonathon has been in Indonesia for a total of four years and joined Spectra Winery in February 2017.
Jonathon Abbott can be contacted at jonathon@spectrawinery.com.

Cory Holbrook, National Sales Manager
Cory’s experience in the wine industry goes all the way back to the 1990’s where he was the proprietor of a winery in Santa Ynez. He sold that winery to a large corporation and moved on to his own smaller, more manageable label where he specialized in Santa Barbara Rhone varietals. His heart strings later pulled him into owning a couple of restaurants where he was able to pair his love for great food and great wine, earning the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. Later, after a couple years of winery consulting, Cory happily settled into the Sierra Foothills to work for Helwig Winery in 2013.
Cory Holbrook can be contacted at cory@helwigwinery.com.

Kathleen Mahan, Director of Events and Culinary Services
Professional, creative, fun and outgoing are just some of the words that describe Kathleen. Born in Atlanta and primarily raised in California, Kathleen enjoyed life growing up in beautiful Northern California. Upon graduating from Oak Ridge High School, she moved to Southern California where she graduated from the Design Institute of San Diego with her BA in Interior Design and Fine Arts.
During college and for the next several years, Kathleen ran her own high-end residential interior design firm in San Diego. She was a Member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). In 2006, she decided to broaden her focus after helping several design clients with their own private events and weddings, and entered the events world. Much like interior design, her skill at working with clients, running jobs, allocating tasks and meeting both deadlines and budgets, fit seamlessly into her new career. Kathleen has been Events Manager at Helwig Winery since they opened.
Kathleen is Past President of the Sacramento Chapter of National Association for Catering and Events (NACE).
Kathleen Mahan can be contacted at kathleen@helwigwinery.com.

Leslie Stewart, Winemaker
Leslie Stewart is one of American’s most valued winemakers.
She was raised in California where she spent summers with her family exploring the different wine regions of the nation. Her mother, a professor of Enology, gave her an introduction to and appreciation for wine. Her fascination in the field led her to pursue a degree in Enology from UCLA.
Leslie’s passion for truly understanding the unique qualities and characteristics of vineyards brought her to Spectra Winery where she has been a winemaker for the last 20 years.
Leslie Stewart can be contacted at leslie@spectrawinery.com.

Margaret and Harry Jennings, Owners
Margaret and Harry Jennings both worked as Wine Consultants for the better part of the 70s and 80s. A strong love of wine eventually led them to purchasing Spectra Winery and beginning a life of winemaking.
Margaret and Harry Jennings can be contacted at info@spectrawinery.com.