Akiko Freeman, Proprietor, Assistant Winemaker

A passionate connoisseur and devoted student of wine and winemaking, Akiko Freeman is the proprietor, CFO and assistant winemaker for Freeman Vineyard & Winery. From her personal relationship with Freeman’s esteemed vineyard partners to her hands-on influence during every stage of the winemaking process, Akiko’s artisan approach ensures Freeman Vineyard & Winery’s commitment to quality and sophisticated excellence.

Counting back her family tree 21 generations, Akiko grew up in Tokyo, a continent away from Ken, but with strikingly similar childhood experiences that shaped her palate and passions. Her grandfather was one of Japan’s leading academics, and his love for food, wine, literature and art was contagious, imbuing his granddaughter with a lifelong taste for the enigmatic beauty of great Burgundy wines and fine food.

After meeting in 1985, Akiko and Ken quickly discovered a mutual love for the best and most authentic in wine, food and travel. From this intoxicating combination grew their shared dream of starting a small winery focused on making wines with the finesse and complexity to pair elegantly with modern cuisine, both in the East and West.

In the mid 1990s, after receiving her master’s degree in Italian Renaissance art history from Stanford, Akiko and Ken traveled widely throughout Europe and as far as South Africa to explore the great winemaking regions of the world. The couple returned to California in 1997 to actively pursue their longstanding dream of making handcrafted, world-class Burgundian-style wines. The dream was realized in 2001 when the couple founded Freeman Vineyard & Winery after a meticulous search for the ideal site and the finest vineyards.

Committed to the ideal of a family-owned winery, Akiko works side-by-side with winemaker Ed Kurtzman, adding her skill, talent and gifted palate to the winemaking process. From her hand sorting of the grapes to maintain the essence of the fruit to the careful tasting of every lot to determine her favorite barrels for inclusion in her award-winning Akiko’s Cuvée, she has immersed herself in the study and artistry of small-lot winemaking.