Cakebread Cellars Names New Hospitality and PR Directors
The Napa Valley winery has appointed Barbara Vakassian and Danielle Cantrell to lead hospitality and marketing.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Wine
Cakebread Cellars, a family-owned Napa Valley winery, has appointed Barbara Vakassian as director of hospitality and Danielle Cantrell as director of public relations and marketing. The appointments were announced Oct. 27, 2026.
Why it matters
The leadership changes bring experience in direct-to-consumer operations and marketing aimed at younger and more diverse wine drinkers, signaling how a long-established California producer plans to engage new audiences. For Californians who visit or buy from Napa Valley wineries, the hires shape the estate tasting and event experience.
Cakebread produces 20 wines, and 11 are distributed nationally through Kobrand Wine and Spirits. The announcement does not detail how the appointments will change the winery's output, pricing or distribution.
The players
Cakebread Cellars
A family-owned winery in Napa Valley founded in 1973 by Jack and Dolores Cakebread and now owned by their sons, Bruce and Dennis.
Barbara Vakassian
Cakebread's new director of hospitality, who previously held hospitality and events leadership roles at The Barlow, Francis Ford Coppola Winery and Jackson Family Wines.
Danielle Cantrell
Cakebread's new director of public relations and marketing, who also directs marketing for the winery's sister brand Bezel.
The details
Vakassian will oversee estate tastings, tours, events and culinary programming, and previously led direct-to-consumer operations at Roederer Estate and Dry Creek Vineyard. Cantrell will focus marketing and public relations on reaching younger and more diverse consumers and previously worked with Clover Sonoma and Traditional Medicinals.
Timeline
Oct. 27, 2026: Cakebread Cellars announced the appointments of Vakassian and Cantrell.
Season Trajectory
The appointments continue the path Cakebread set when the Cakebread family founded the winery in 1973 and later passed ownership to sons Bruce and Dennis. The hires add outside leadership to a business that has remained family-owned for more than half a century.
Visitors to Cakebread's Napa Valley estate may notice changes to tastings, tours and events as Vakassian takes over those programs. Consumers who buy the winery's 11 nationally distributed wines may see new marketing efforts as Cantrell focuses outreach on younger and more diverse buyers.
The takeaway
Wineries that have been family-run for generations are increasingly bringing in specialists in hospitality and digital-era marketing to keep their tasting rooms and brands relevant. Readers who visit or buy from these estates can expect the experience to evolve even when the family name stays the same.
Further reading
For more on the state's wine industry, explore California Wine coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
