Andy Renda - The Wine Thief

J Pearce is a boutique wine project that was started by great
friends, Andrew Renda and Jarred Pearce. Andy and Jarred met in
2005 when Andy hired Jarred to work alongside him at Vintner’s
Collective in downtown Napa.


Prior to Andy’s career in wine, it was a love of food and the
restaurant industry where he first gained experience. Like many
others, his first job was as a dishwasher for a gourmet caterer
in his hometown. By age seventeen, he began cooking at The
Country Club in Brookline MA, which is home to three US Opens,
and the 1999 Ryder Cup. It was there where he was first
introduced to the pairing of haute cuisine and world class wines.


After several years in the food industry, front and back of the
house, he chose to start his quest to obtain more knowledge about
the world of wine and spirits. The next eight years were spent
helping to manage retail wine shops in the Boston area. His
exposure was not just limited to California wines, but to a broad
spectrum of global offerings.


Countless hours were spent tasting in order to gain a more
refined palate and true understanding of what the world of wine
has to offer. This passion for a lifelong career in the wine
industry was set in motion, and it was time to relocate.


Andy and his bride to be Kelly, sold all of their belongings and
packed a car to make the pilgrimage from Boston to Napa, no jobs,
just a destination, the legendary Napa Valley!


They made a temporary home in a rental cottage as Andy pursued
his dream, putting his passion and knowledge for wine to the
test. The better part of the next decade was spent as the
Director of Sales of Vintner’s Collective surrounded by top
boutique producers. More importantly over that stretch, Kelly and
he got married and now have two beautiful children Maxwell and
Adelaide. His family is his driving force.