About Max
I was born in Michigan and have had an international upbringing, living in several countries such as Italy, Canada, and the United Kingdom. I spent part of my childhood in Italy immersed in wine culture as my family has been involved in the wine industry for several generations. I moved to San Francisco after finishing college in February 2004 to work as an architect, and immediately became fascinated in California’s wine country.
A Chance Meeting…
“After working as an architect in downtown San Francisco for about a year, I decided that it was time for a change, although I had no idea what that change was to be. I quit the firm, and on my last day a couple of work buddies took me out to a nearby bar for some drinks. A conversation about the wine regions of the world with a stranger sitting next to me led to him offering me a job as a guide doing wine tours! I was jobless for under an hour…
I decided that I would take him up on it (at least temporarily until I found another architecture job). All of a sudden a year had gone by, and I realized how much I loved what I did. Being outside in vineyards everyday became my new office. I excelled in pairing people to wineries – the way that a sommelier will pair a wine to your meal. But I needed to be in business for myself…
And so Max Napa Tours was founded by December, 2004.”
In July of 2008, I was inducted into the Guild of Sommeliers, then became a Certified Wine Professional (CWP) in 2010. I have now formed relationships with over 350 wineries in the region, and use my experiences to create your perfect day in wine country. I have never done the same tour twice!
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Italy 2007
In November of 2007, I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend a series of tastings held by the Genovese Section of Italian Sommeliers and Wine Importers. I was also given a chance to present some of America’s best wines, discussing current market trends and how the United States is always setting the bar higher in terms of quality.
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About Evan Rothrock
Evan was born and raised in Arizona and, unlike Max, the wine he was exposed growing up was his parents’ grocery store Merlot. However, during his time working in the restaurant industry through college at Arizona State, he began to recognize the vast worlds corked up in wine. His appreciation of wine culture is the result of years of fundamentally self-taught knowledge and an adventurous palate.
Lucky enough to be taken under the wing of two budding so
mmeliers at one of the first wine-focused establishments he worked for, wine was elevated to a new level of esteem for Evan. He eventually followed their path, passing the first level exam for the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2007. “Once I finished my degree in mathematics, I realized I was at a crossroads in my career. Every life lesson I had received to that point seemed to boil down to doing what makes yourself and those in your life happy.
Learning about wine has certainly done that for me and I love sharing my experiences with others, because like wine, experiences are meant to be shared. So, based on the logic and reasoning skills I had acquired in my education, I made the “obvious” decision to move to San Francisco and give wine tours.”
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Music
The music on this website is a result of 10 years of recordings with various musicians. Thank you to everyone that helped make this possible.
Musicians:
Guitar: Max Roher, Ryan (RB) Brown, Cory Bordo
Drums: Isaac Payne
Bass: Darrell Parker
Mandolin: Colin Platt
Saw: Melissa Moss
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