Salvador immigrated from El Grullo Jalisco, Mexico in the early 1970s. He began his journey in the vineyards working for Emmolo Nursery where he gained his grafting knowledge. He was able to start his own freelance grafting business in the mid ‘70s. In the 1980’s, phylloxera infested many of the vines in Northern California, threatening its entire wine industry. For over ten years, Salvador and his crew played a crucial role in grafting over infected vines with resistant rootstock, preventing the collapse of the local grape production in Napa and Sonoma valleys. His incredible skills have taken him throughout the worlds most prominent wine regions, traveling to work in France, Spain, Italy and South America.
Salvador has raised his family in St. Helena, and over 40 years later is still grafting and consulting for some of the top wineries in the area. Not only is he a master and pioneer grafter, but he is a highly respected man in his community and the wine industry as a whole.
