JULIE KOMES-GARVEY, Co-Founder
Julie Komes-Garvey’s involvement in Flora Springs extends back to the winery’s inception. Julie, along with her brother John Komes and his wife Carrie, mother Flora Komes, father Jerry Komes and husband Pat Garvey founded the winery in 1978. Julie, Flora and John all have one thing (looks aside) in common: an infectious charisma and genuine joie-de-vivre integral to the Komes family DNA. In 2002, Julie chose to pursue her initial educational roots and left her role at the winery as Communications Director to pursue a career in spiritual direction. Although Julie has taken a less prominent role at the winery, her contribution to the winery as well as her community is both remarkable and historical.

In 1978, when her parents Jerry and Flora Komes purchased the Flora Springs Vineyards, Julie worked side by side with her brother John and her husband Pat Garvey in the vineyards to create the first vintages of Flora Springs. Julie fondly remembers her first harvest, “I was pregnant with Sean and gave birth two weeks later, so I was definitely the slowest harvester.” Evidently it didn’t affect the quality of the wine: their inaugural Chardonnay won a gold medal (out of a total of three awarded that year) at the Los Angeles Country fair. Success of the harvest aside, Julie left vineyard tending to the love of her life, Vineyard Director Pat Garvey, and focused on growing the Flora Springs brand with John in a home office with little more than a phone. “When John asked me to oversee marketing for our winery endeavor, he clearly had forgotten all the boxes of Girl Scout cookies that our family had to eat because I was unable to sell them,” she laughs.

As the success of Flora Springs grew, Julie’s efforts extended outside of the winery. Soon after the inaugural release of the Flora Springs’ signature Bordeaux blend, Trilogy, Julie and a group of vintners founded the Meritage Association in 1988. Their goal was to promote the elegance of American wine blends made with Bordeaux varietals as well as to create a category that would allow winemakers to make and market their blended wines. The Meritage Association helped to boost the international reputation of American Bordeaux-style blends. Julie’s additional wine-related efforts include serving as a founding board member and Legislative Chair of Women for Winesense, advocating for the moderate consumption of alcohol and accurate information regarding the health benefits of wine. She was also active in promoting the reputation of Sauvignon Blanc in the group Society of Blancs (S.O.B’s).

Julie has also been active in her community in the area of education. Her membership with the St. Helena Public Schools Foundation led to her election to the St. Helena Unified School District, where she served as a trustee and also as president. After the passage of a school bond, Julie served on the oversight committee to ensure the proper expenditure of the proceeds from that bond.

It is no surprise that Julie takes such a vested interest in education. After graduating with a degree in history from Santa Clara University in 1971, she completed her teaching credential. In 2005, she completed her diploma in spiritual direction from the San Francisco Theological Seminary, and has been awarded a Masters in Theological Studies from the Franciscan School of Theology. Currently, she works as a spiritual director and teacher, dividing her time between counseling, teaching and leading retreats. Julie is the proud mother of two sons. Her youngest son, Joe Garvey, lives and works in Seoul, Korea and shares her same enthusiasm for teaching. Her oldest son, Sean, is now following in her footsteps as Communications and Production Director of Flora Springs. Julie’s brother and Flora Springs President John Komes jokes, “She may have left the winery, but she’s still in the spirits business!”