Daisy Damskey

Daisy DamskeyDaisy, featured in Michele Mandro’s Wine County Woman of Sonoma County, “has worked alongside her husband from their early years in San Diego County. There, she was an instructor at San Diego State University, then segueing to Terroirs Inc. Daisy’s love for agriculture grew from early years at her grandparent’s walnut ranch in Napa Valley, picking and selling bags of nuts. Daisy has always sought to balance her career in the wine industry, with her passion for service.”

Accomplishments of Firsts to Date

  • Founded the South Coast Vintners Society
  • First Woman Executive Director of the Healdsburg Boys and Girls Club
    • Brought girls into the 1.500-member club
    • Integrated girls into the town’s team sports leagues
  • Founding member of A Woman’s Palate
    • An organization created to introduce businesswomen to wine
    • And, to advocate for women within the industry.
  • First woman elected to the Geyserville Planning Committee, serving her third term.

Born in New York City, Daisy Damskey has evolved into a California 1980s, renaissance woman. Shaped by her parents and grandparents, her longing has always been in the humanities. She feels this conscientiousness is attributed to her early shaping, by her parents’ altruism.

When talking about Daisy, Kerry Damskey needs to be included. Evolving into a dynamic, working partnership, they next realized the importance of moving back to Napa. Kerry’s father owned seven acres of vineyard on the Silverado Trail. He wanted Kerry to make his wine. And, Daisy spent a summer at Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards, while being built. At the end of summer, she was offered and took the job as director of PR. Her crowning achievements: promote winemaker Dave Ramey, and bringing in the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, which played at the top of the Chalk “Hill.”

IN 2002, when Kerry began Terroirs Inc. and Palmeri Wines, Daisy’s life became fulltime in wine. This dynamic couple are adventure seekers; no challenge is too big to conquer. This all began with a call asking if they would be willing to go to China to access a project. The answer was a resounding “yes!” Next came India in their travels. This is where they helped establish India as a viable, wine producing country, with Sula Vineyards being the crown jewel. Then, off to Costa Rica, and beyond.

The world view has allowed growth and prosperity for them, in admirable ways, always pushing the envelope. Daisy explains it, “Kerry has a strong background in science; I have a strong background in the arts and humanities. Together, we’ve become an effectively complete unit, for others success stories.” In this process, they have also been established as wine world leaders.

As a woman in wine, her trailblazing ripples expand into many, inclusive civic activities. She believes if people become rooted and give back, they are embraced for their generosity and welcomed. She credits Audrey Sterling, of Iron Horse Vineyards, as a great example and her inspiration, because Audrey was gracious and brought peace and calm to everything she did. Daisy Damskey believes in bringing significance to the table, too, always setting an exquisite one, for the benefit of others.