LEAD BUILDER Although Charlie Tsegeletos owns a garage full of motorcycles, he has a soft spot for the old 1947 Dodge Stakeside truck that serves as the mascot for Red Truck Wines. "I'm like that old bus," says Charlie, whose memories of it include the time it leaked oil during the annual 4th of July parade in Calistoga. "I've taken that thing all over, even done drag races with it. It loses control at about 40 miles per hour."

Having grown up amidst a landscape much like that pictured on the Red Truck label - the rolling, golden hills of Sonoma - Charlie is eminently well-suited to his role as winemaker. Raised by an Italian mom and a Greek dad, Charlie's family always had a bottle of wine on the table. But his interest in making wine was inherited from his great grandfather, Guippe Guidotti, who in the 1930's grew grapes and made wine in the Guerneville area of Sonoma County.

Charlie earned his degree from the University of California at Davis and immediately began his winemaking career at the age of 24. He's been making wine in Sonoma ever since. Charlie joined Cline Cellars in 2002 and is responsible for winemaking and production for the winery's Cline, Oakley and Jacuzzi Family Vineyard brands. He's made the Red Truck Wines since their inception in 2002 and today continues as winemaker for both Red Truck and Cline Cellars.

Charlie has a philosophy about making Red Truck Wines: he wants them to appeal to both new and experienced wine drinkers alike. For his reds, he strives for weightiness, complexity and a tannin level that will keep an experienced wine drinker interested, but also for fruit intensity and richness that a novice wine drinker will love. Similarly for the whites, Charlie looks for a style that is balanced and nuanced for the experienced wine drinkers but with a purity of fruit for those just discovering wine.

Charlie is a professional wine judge, a member of the Board of Directors for the Sonoma Valley Vintner's and Growers Association, and - when he's not drag racing vintage red trucks - an avid snow skier and motorcyclist. He resides on an old chicken ranch in the hills of Sonoma with his wife and daughter along with an assortment of animals.