Joy Anne Sterling

Joy Sterling represents the second generation at Iron Horse. She is the CEO of the winery and the author of four books: A Cultivated Life, published by Random House, Vintage Feasting, Vineyard: A Year in the Life of California Wine Country with photographs by Andy Katz and A Vintner's Guide to Red Wine published by Simon and Schuster.

There is a strong French influence in Joy's life. She grew up in Paris, attended a French school and speaks fluent French. Living in Europe and traveling extensively, Joy received an extraordinary education in the appreciation of food and wine, and a love of quality wherever it is found in the world.

Joy returned to the United States to attend Yale University where she studied history and economics. She went into journalism, first for United Press International, followed by local television, and ultimately, network TV news. At the age of 29, Joy was Deputy Bureau Chief for ABC Network News in Los Angeles. She was given numerous special assignments including coverage of the first Space Shuttle landings in California, coordinating producer for several Presidential trips, and the high point of her career, Assignment Editor for ABC's 1984 Olympic coverage.

In 1985, Joy left ABC's hierarchy to join her family's business. Thus, a new sort of woman was recruited into California's wine industry. Significantly, she made news headlines for the winery with her first achievement at Iron Horse. In November, 1985, the White House selected Iron Horse Sparkling Wine for the President's toast to peace at the first summit meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva.

Joy quietly took up the reins at Iron Horse at the start of 2006, having spent 20 years traveling on behalf of the winery, personally introducing the wines to an impressive list of customers from Spago Beverly Hills to the Four Seasons in New York.  

She is an adventurer, having climbed Kilimanjaro, run white water rapids on the Bio - Bio River in Chile and the upper reaches of the Yank Sing River in China, trekked in Tibet and Bhutan, and completed a road trip to Timbuktu. 

Joy joined the prestigious Board of Trustees of The Leakey Foundation in 2007.  One of her major initiatives is hosting an annual fundraising and awareness raising event in partnership with National Geographic celebrating Earth Day held at Iron Horse.