Dr. Thomas J. Rice, Ph.D. is a Professor of Soil Science in the Earth & Soil Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo. Dr. Rice is a native of Marshfield, Wisconsin. He earned a B.S. degree in Natural Resources from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1974, a M.S. degree in Soil Science from Montana State University, Bozeman in 1976, and a Ph.D. degree in Soil Science, Geology minor, from North Carolina State University, Raleigh in 1981. He has been a California Polytechnic State University faculty member since 1981, where he is responsible for teaching university courses in soil science, land use planning, soil geomorphology, soil resource inventory, and advanced land management. Dr. Rice has been a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (C.P.S.S.) since 1982. He has directed and performed soil resource inventories in California, Montana, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin. He has directed and produced over 15 soil survey reports in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area since 1992. He has supervised over fifty master’s theses and senior projects dealing with soil chemistry and viticulture, soil resource inventories of vineyards, soil-serpentinite mineralogy relationships, environmental mercury contamination, land use planning, and nonpoint source pollution-water quality studies. Dr. Rice has published numerous journal articles, research reports, and popular press articles. He has been the project director for funded studies involving soil and wine grape quality relationships, soil taxonomy updates in California, Nevada, and Utah; a comprehensive soils database for California; nonpoint source pollution in western rangelands; mercury pollution in a California watershed; soil mapping of a national wildlife refuge; and California soil map unit interpretation record updates. Dr. Rice serves as a private soil science consultant and has testified as an expert witness in legal depositions, California civil courts, and legal arbitration proceedings. Email: info@pasoterroir.com

Tracy G. Cervellone, C.W.E. is a native of Colorado. She has been employed in the wholesale wine business throughout California and the southwestern United States for over 20 years. Her love affair with the Paso Robles AVA and its wines dates back to the 1980’s. A Certified Wine Educator (C.W.E.) since 2005, she also holds the Advanced Certificate with Distinction from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET).  Currently, she is studying for the rigorous Master of Wine (M.W.) certification. She resides in southern California with her husband, Michael.  Tracy is an avid free diver, horiculturist, history, literature, philosophy and muscle car buff. She has published another year-2007 literary work, “Mommy Nation: the Decline of Dignity, Common Sense and Self Reliance in our Everyday Lives.” Tracy also writes a regular national column for Dining Out magazine.  Email: info@pasoterroir.com