Brook Williams, president and CEO of Zaca Mesa Winery since October 2003, has extensive and varied wine industry expertise. Brook oversees all aspects of the winery including the national sales, marketing, hospitality, vineyard and winemaking teams to ensure the highest quality wines are produced from Zaca Mesa's estate vineyard.

Brook's career in the wine industry began in 1989 when he left Lake Tahoe's Heavenly Valley Ski Resort to work for E. & J. Gallo Winery in Modesto, CA. In almost eight years with Gallo, he worked his way from accounting and finance to international and domestic marketing. While working at Gallo, Brook earned a Masters in Business Administration.

In 1997, Brook left Gallo to join Beringer Wine Estates as brand manager. At Beringer, Brook drove the national launch of Beringer Founders' Estate, numerous ad campaigns and a growth rate of 15%. When Brook left Beringer in 2000, he was brand director, responsible for the flagship brand and its extensive marketing budget.

Following Beringer, Brook worked for Southcorp Wines as the director of marketing, before being promoted to vice president of brand marketing for the Americas. Brook was in charge of marketing eight premium wine brands including Lindemans, Rosemount and Penfolds from Canada to Brazil. "This is where my interest in Syrah/Shiraz really blossomed," Brook recalls.

For the two years prior to joining Zaca Mesa, Brook was vice president of marketing for Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates, where he was responsible for all brand marketing activities for the California brands including Kendall-Jackson, La Crema, Camelot, Pepi and Edmeades.

Brook lives with his wife, Cory, and their three young children in Solvang, California.