People Behind the Wine

Our newest member of the Belle Fiore team, Sonia Meisenhelder, although new to us, is no stranger to the Southern Oregon wine scene. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Sonia graduated from Whittier College with a BA in Business Administration. After college she took some time to travel the world where she fell in love with culture, food and of course, wine! Soon after returning from her travels, she took a full-time position in the San Diego wine industry, where she also happened to fall in love with the local winemaker. In 2017 they moved to Ashland, where Sonia continued to work and expand her knowledge of the Southern Oregon wine scene. Today you can find Sonia walking the hallways as the new Wine Club Manager, and when she isn’t at work you can find her traveling the world, enjoying outdoor activities with her black lab, or spending time with her loved ones over a lovely glass of wine!

Bio Coming Soon!

Danny is a Southern California native born and raised in the city of El Monte, California. Danny graduated from Southern Oregon University with a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. His background in events began in 2013 in the Los Angeles County before moving to Ashland in 2015 where he quickly adapted to lead events in college as the Director of EPIC (event planning involvement committee). After graduating in 2020, Danny joined the Belle Fiore team working in various departments before taking the position of Event Manager. His dedicated attention to detail is what drives Danny. “Being able to explore your creative vision and seeing an idea be turned into reality, from concept to execution, is the highlight of working events.” When he is not at the winery, he enjoys exploring Southern Oregon, traveling, and spending time with his nieces and nephews.

Jeff Hunt was born and raised in in San Diego Ca. and as a kid spent every possible moment at the beach. After high school Jeff received a culinary arts degree from Mesa college. In 2009 Jeff moved up to Ashland to take care of his mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2020. Although he still misses the ocean, he fell in love with Ashland and its food culture, diving into the scene headfirst. When he’s not working, he enjoys playing guitar, exploring outdoors, trips to the coast, and lake days with friends. Jeff holds one culinary term very close to the heart, “soigne” which is a French term for elegance, “ It motivates me to never stop trying to achieve perfection, each day we have on this earth is another opportunity to make yourself better.”

Kira Jany, born and raised on the Southern Oregon Coast. Graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in Anthropology and a BA in International Relations. After two years post grad of living in Portland, Oregon she embarked on an inspirational trip to New Zealand to WOOF and travel. She worked on a vineyard, wirelifting for 8 days, and caught the wine bug. Eventually, she traveled back to Portland to begin her first harvest in 2018, at Union Wine Co in the Willamette Valley. In 2020, she did a stint in Western Australia making beautiful white and red wines influenced by the Indian Ocean. Then back to the Willamette Valley for 2020, and now Southern Oregon. Joining the production team in 2021. Kira says her goal in winemaking is allowing the site of the vineyard to evolve in the wine.

“In every sip taken in the present, we drink in the past. Wine is unrushed.” – Karen Mac