St. Francis Winery President/CEO Christopher Silva is no stranger to the bounty of the North Bay. “I’m a fifth-generation native of Sonoma County,” he says. “My great-grandparents were Swiss-Italian dairy farmers who came to Petaluma in the late 1800s. I grew up seeing and hearing how farming defined our culture, our traditions and our values in Sonoma County. It still does.”
After attending college (Loyola Marymont University; Loyola Law School) and establishing a law career in Southern California, Silva returned to Santa Rosa in 1992, when he was 27. “A small group of us planned for me to run for Congress before I turned 30,” he reveals. “Our plan was soon abandoned upon realizing that I didn’t have the experience, connections or money necessary to compete. I would have been clobbered—big time.”
That’s OK, his hometown of Santa Rosa is glad to have him back. The feeling’s mutual: “I wouldn’t want to raise my children anywhere else.”
Describe one of your most embarrassing life moments.
One Saturday morning, in my first month at the winery (in 1998), someone sent me into the cellar to welcome a “trade group from Iowa.” I stood in front of all 60 of them and loudly thanked everyone “for selling our wines in Iowa.” A woman in the back of the group yelled out, “Iowa? We’re from Nebraska!” Our visitor information form was born that morning.
What’s your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is so good that we put it on our annual Harvest t-shirts at the winery: “Go big or go home.”
What do you love to do outside of work?
Exercise and anything that involves my children, Joseph (11) and Sydney (9). Kids are more fun, challenging and wonderful than I ever imagined.
Describe a surreal moment in your life.
Sitting alone with Margaret Thatcher in her London office in 2001, showing her pictures of my kids. We met by chance in a New York restaurant a year before and began corresponding. She invited me for tea, so I accepted. Unreal.
How much poetry have you written in your life?
More than enough—always for the girl who was about to leave me. The poetry usually made her decision easier.
What’s your most memorable scene or line from a movie?
In “Gladiator,” when the retired, freed gladiator tells Russell Crowe’s character: “I wasn’t the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd, and you’ll win your freedom.” Great business advice in any context.
Who inspires you?
Anyone who puts family ahead of self.
What business accomplishment are you most proud of?
Back in 1998, we worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to create 40 acres of designated wetlands on our estate vineyard in Russian River Valley. In 2004, we installed a first-of-its-kind 457-kilowatt solar energy system. Today, our winery gets up to 40 percent of its energy from the sun—enough to power 450 homes. In short, we engaged in sustainable, green practices before it was popular.
What do you do when you want to relax?
Turn off my BlackBerry, throw a few steaks on the barbecue, then open a bottle of our “Old Vines” Zinfandel.
How do you feel about your age?
Both my grandmothers are alive and active in Petaluma at ages 90 and 95. They embrace every chapter of life and tell me that each offers something new and interesting. My age, 44, is a walk in the park.
When do you find yourself singing? What’s the song?
Anything Frank or Tony. It doesn’t get any better than Sinatra singing Johnny Mercer’s “The Summer Wind.”
Do you have a lifelong dream or ambition?
To see both of my kids graduate from college.
If you could accomplish only one thing in the rest of your life, what would it be?
Finish answering these questions.
