Napa's Cutest—And Coolest!—Vintner Shows Us Around Her St. Helena 'Hood!
Michele in one of her signature J.Crew button-ups and Ksubi cut-off shorts out in the vineyard.
It’s hard to think of a cooler life than that of St. Helena resident Michele Ouellet. The 23-year-old stunner not only circles the globe modeling, but when she’s back home in Napa Valley, the super-down-to-earth gal is out in the vines, playing vintner at Lorenza Rosé, the wine company Ouellet and her mother own. To find out what a Day in the Bay with Ouellet looks like, we caught up with the local lady and had her play tour-guide around her St. Helena home and 'hood. Naturally, a little dress-up ensued, as well. Take a look at the gorgeous results below, and get ready to schedule a trip up north, pronto.
"This is one of my first 'girly' purchases," says Michele of the itsy-bitsy Prada frock she dons in her backyard. "I've been dressing a bit more feminine after being a tomboy all my life!"
Tell us a little bit about your job and why you love it.
“I am a model and a vintner. My mom and I have a wine brand called Lorenza Rosé. My two careers are complimentary and both benefit from each other. There's a great balance between fashion and city life and a slower pace back in Napa making wine."
You and your mother are involved in an organization to help promote women in wine. Tell us about it.
“Wine Entre Femmes is a non-competitive group of women in the wine business. We share information, education, and experiences, and on occasion, we get together and pour all of our wines for marketing and educational events. It’s a really fun, beautiful thing to be a part of.”
Michele kicks back in her stand-by, in-the-vineyard Frye boots.
How much are you involved in the wine-making?
“We produce the wine in Lodi, which is also where we source our grapes, and I'm involved every step of the way! During the summer, I go out to the vineyards to check for ripeness and make sure everything is looking good. I'm there from harvest to fermentation, from blending to bottling, and to selling!”
A picture of Michele as a child and one of her modeling shots hang on the fridge.
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