Alvarez and Judd maintain that a wine is only as good as the harvest. They maintain a residence on the vineyards in order to oversee every aspect of production. Giving tours of our facilities and bringing guests into the barrel room is our favorite part of our jobs. On dry days, we travel through the vineyards on dirt bikes. It’s both healthy and green.
Alvarez and Judd recently undertook a trade mission to Colombia, South America. Their goal was to assess the viability of the Colombian market not only for their own wines but for the wines of their region and all of California.
Exporting their wine and promoting the Paso Robles appellation across the globe is an intregal part of the A Cellar Full of Noise mission. To date, they’ve participated in wine shows in China, Europe, Canada and South America.
Judd’s autobiographic comedy 7 SINS has been seen around the globe, including Off-Broadway. All four of his extended engagements in San Francisco have been named Audience Favorite winners by the Goldstar ticket agency.
About the Founders
Eric R. Álvarez, Co-Founder
Director of Social Media
Eric launched A Cellar Full of Noise with James Judd in 2002. Since then, Eric has focused on elevating our profile to an international level.
As a Director of Social Media, Eric utilizes his instructional designer experience, as well as his wine industry knowledge, to educate and inform A Cellar Full of Noise Twitter and Facebook followers by creating and developing video and online instruction in wine tasting and wine etiquette fundamentals. He plays a key role in designing the website, labels and all marketing materials. Utilizing his language skills in French, Spanish and some Italian, Eric negotiates export sales with foreign buyers. He has participated in many worldwide wine fairs including the Hong Kong International Wine Fair, Food and Hotel China, Prowein, London International Wine Fair, California Wine Institute Canadian Tasting Tours in Vancouver, Toronto, Quebec, Montreal, and London, as well as private pouring events elsewhere in Hong Kong, mainland China, Canada and Colombia.
Eric is committed to helping other small to mid-sized wine producers learn to export their products. Eric recently created a visual presentation on Exporting to China for a Family Winemakers of California seminar on exporting, and a no-cost export seminar for small to mid-sized wineries in the Paso Robles region.
As a former member of the Board of Directors of the Tempranillo Advocates, Producers, and Amigos Society (TAPAS) Eric played an instrumental role in establishing the TAPAS festival in San Francisco and dramatically increasing ticket sales for its annual San Francisco wine-tasting event.
As the Producer of the many San Francisco productions of James Judd’s 7 Sins, Eric has created one of the most successful, long-running comedy events in San Francisco theatrical history. His imprint is on every aspect of the production, including finance, marketing, sales, house management, technician management, social media, and bookkeeping.
Before launching A Cellar Full of Noise, Eric was a Division Manager for World Savings, a Wachovia Company for 6 years. As a Division Sales Manager, led and managed mortgage loan centers including an Underwriting and Telefinance groups.
As an Instructional Designer for ten years, Eric worked on corporate, government, and military training projects. He was the leading designer for the Higher-Performance Virtual Teams training program for Wilweb.com, a Wilson Learning Company where he managed an international team with members working in the United States, England and Malaysia.
Eric is currently incorporating his Instructional System Designs background and his producing, sales and export experience in developing educational materials for social media and export seminars.
Education. M.A. Degree on Instructional Systems Design and a B.A. in Foreign Languages: French and Spanish. Degree in Wine studies include courses taught by the Master Court of Sommeliers, UC Berkeley, California Wine Institute, and Family Winemakers of California. He is a member of the California Wine Institute, Family Winemakers of California, IGGPA, TAPAS, and San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.
You can follow Eric on Twitter at @EricRAlvarez and @CellarNoise
James B. Judd, Co-Founder
James founded A Cellar Full of Noise in 2002 several years after the launch of James Judd & Son Vineyards in 1998, which he launched with his father James T. Judd. James T. Judd now runs his own wine-producing company J&J Cellars, and James Judd & Son Vineyards has become a subsidiary of A Cellar Full of Noise. James has been farming on the family land in San Miguel, which now serves as the primary Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard, since 1975.
Prior to the launch of James Judd & Son Vineyards, James began practicing law in New Hampshire, where he received his Juris Doctorate and Master of Intellectual Property Law degrees from Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire.
Since 2008, James has been primarily focused on learning everything there is to know about exporting wine, and finding ways to share that information with his local colleagues. He has participated in many worldwide wine fairs including the Hong Kong International Wine Fair, Food and Hotel China, Prowein, London International Wine Fair, California Wine Institute tasting events in London, as well as private pouring events elsewhere in Canada, China and Colombia. He is presently developing a no-cost seminar in exporting specifically for the Paso Robles region.
James is a former member of the world-famous, Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings. He’s also a former member of the New Faces at the Hollywood Improv, where he infamously made his stand-up debut by following Jerry Seinfeld. As a comedian and comedy writer, James worked on many entertainment projects, including television appearances on Star Search and Evening at the Improv. He has toured the U.S as a stand-up comedian, and is very proud of having once gotten a criminal complaint against his client dropped in exchange for entertaining a prosecutor in an eleventh hour bargaining session. His critically acclaimed, award-winning, one-man, autobiographical play 7 SINS has been produced multiple times in (west to east) Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Regina, Winnipeg, London (Ontario), Hamilton, Toronto, New York (Rochester and Off-Broadway at 59E59th), Concord (N.H.), Ogonequite (Maine), Washington, D.C., Orlando, Grand Bahama, Roatan (Honduras), the Edinburgh Festival, and Celebrity Cruises. In four separation productions in San Francisco, 7 SINS has become a citywide sensation and has developed a large and loyal following. His other plays Funny Stories, Whoop Click, and Fat Camp have also been widely seen and highly esteemed. James has appeared frequently on local television and NPR-affliated radio stations to discuss his life and his work. Currently, James is developing several new theatrical projects as a performer, director, and producer. His blog, which details many of his experiences in the wine industry, can be read at www.jamesbjudd.com. You can often find him ranting about wine and export issues on Twitter @jamesjudd.
James’ varied career has also included stints as the editor of a Silicon Valley technology monthly magazine, editor of legal self-help books, and newspaper reporter. He is presently using his film, television, writing and editing experience to produce a series of educational films on wine tasting and wine etiquette fundamentals, which can be accessed through the A Cellar Full of Noise Facebook page.
Education: Bachelor of Arts, English, University of San Francisco. Master of Professional Writing, University of Southern California, Master of Intellectual Property Law and Juris Doctorate, Franklin Pierce Law Center. Wine studies include courses taught by the Master Court of Sommeliers, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, California Wine Institute, Center for International Trade Development and Family Winemakers of California. He is a member of the California Wine Institute, Family Winemakers of California, IGGPA, TAPAS, and San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.
You may read James’ blog on wine, travel and other observations at jamesbjudd.com. You may also follow James on Twitter at @jamesjudd or @cellarnoise. For videos and to see a clip of 7 SINS, join James on YouTube.