Apollo is part of the fourth generation of family operators at St. Julian. He grew up around the winery and worked summers in the tasting rooms. He joined the St. Julian team in a full-time capacity to oversee our wholesale operations and, in 2022, succeeded his father, John Braganini, as President.

Apollo’s favorite wine or spirit: Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Dario is a fourth-generation family member. For the first chapter of his career, he worked throughout all the organization’s channels to understand all aspects of the winery. Today, he’s dedicated to St. Julian’s growing wholesale channel, specifically markets outside of Michigan.

Dario’s favorite wine or spirit: Braganini Reserve Meconi

Russell manages the company’s financial functions, including accounting, audit, treasury, and corporate finance. His career spans more than 12 years of varied experience in financial management, business leadership, and corporate strategy.

Russell’s favorite wine or spirit: Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Joel joined St. Julian to manage our direct-to-consumer channels. In 2022, after helping grow our tasting room locations, building our Wine Club membership, and expanding our online presence, he was promoted to executive vice president and now helps oversee production at the winery.

Joel’s favorite wine or spirit: Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Nancie proudly holds the title of Michigan’s first female winemaker and has piloted the Michigan wine industry. She leads our winemaking team and has created hundreds of award-winning wines, upholding our reputation as Michigan’s most-awarded winery.

Nancie’s favorite wine or spirit: Ciao Bolle

Matt has been with St. Julian for over 30 years. He manages the production team, overseeing everything from crushing to bottling, labeling, and more. He makes sure that all operations run smoothly, to provide only the highest quality products for our customers.

As Michigan’s largest winery, we have hundreds of products, six different tasting rooms, thousands of retail partners, and a huge production facility—all of which must be managed financially. Sarah assists our administrative team, ensuring that our finances are managed with the same high quality as our wine.

Sarah’s favorite wine or spirit: Braganini Reserve Syrah

Cassandra has led our Wine Club growth through innovative ideas, engaging with our members, composing informative and interesting content, and creating new wine concepts. With over 15,000 members, our Wine Club continues to grow not only in Michigan but also throughout the country.

Cassandra’s favorite wine or spirit: Ciao Bolle

Third-generation family member and former president, John was the fifth family member to run the winery, from 2016–2022. In addition to his role at St. Julian, John and his wife, Sarah, own and operate the winery’s Mountain Road Estate Vineyard in Coloma, Michigan, which continues to produce grapes that we turn into award-winning wines.

John’s favorite wine or spirit: Braganini Reserve Syrah