Nancy Ulloa and Neeta Mittal are two of the most inspiring “women in wine” I have had the pleasure of meeting, sharing drinks with, and calling friends. Both were recently named, along with Kunal Mittal, to Wine Enthusiast’s esteemed “Future 40 Tastemakers 2025” list. This annual recognition highlights innovators and tastemakers shaping the future of the global beverage industry. Being included among forty of the most forward-thinking and influential figures in the field is no small honor.
The award spotlights individuals leading essential conversations around the state of the wine industry, climate change, the influence of AI, hospitality, business, and what Wine Enthusiast calls “the future of drinking.” It also celebrates those creating meaningful experiences for everyone, from devoted collectors and sommeliers to casual sippers, growers, restaurateurs, and curious explorers.
Of the forty honorees across all beverage categories, nine come from California. Of those nine, four are winemakers, and three of those four are from Paso Robles: Nancy Ulloa of Ulloa Cellars and Neeta and Kunal Mittal of LXV Winery. It is the perfect moment to celebrate Paso Robles, the Central Coast, and these exceptional local leaders.
Two Paths, One Destination
Neeta Mittal: A Blend of Heritage, Innovation, and Leadership
Our first meeting with Neeta was warm, inviting, and unforgettable. The connection happened almost instantly. My wife and Neeta bonded with an ease that felt like long–lost family. I had reached out after hearing about LXV, and Neeta welcomed us to her home and vineyard without hesitation. What followed was far more than a tasting. It was the beginning of a genuine friendship.
We were greeted by the esteemed Wes Hagen, who introduced us to Neeta as she graciously navigated a busy afternoon. A travel industry group was arriving for lunch, yet she still invited us to join after our visit with Wes. That small gesture revealed the heart of who she is.
Neeta’s warmth, intelligence, and quiet elegance have a way of filling a room. Even before we sat down, we sensed the depth of her story. Born in India to scientifically minded parents, she grew up in a household shaped by curiosity and discipline. Her degrees in computer science and business administration reflect that balance, pairing analytical thinking with entrepreneurial instinct.
Her move to Paso Robles was driven by a desire to blend tradition with innovation. That decision opened a new chapter, one that would establish her as a leader in the region and one of the first Indian women to own a winery in the United States. LXV’s wines reflect her background beautifully. Paired with her thoughtful spice selections, they reveal a quiet mysticism, a sense of heritage, and a refined, deeply intentional style. The more time you spend with Neeta, the more you understand that she herself carries the same subtle complexity.
Nancy Ulloa: A Journey of Resilience, Discovery, and Creative Expression
A Spark of Magic in Every Interaction
I first heard about Nancy from a friend. At the time, she was managing Seven Oxen Wine and preparing for the release of her own wines. When my wife and I finally met her, she joked, “If you like my wine, please tell your friends. I will pour for them anywhere, even on a dirt road from the trunk of my car.” It was playful, yet it perfectly captured her spirit.
We were captivated immediately. Her wine-colored hair, shifting from Pinot to Grenache or Merlot depending on the day, her vibrant tattoos, and the joy in her smile created an energy that stayed with us long after that first meeting. And then we tasted her wines, which carried the same vibrancy.
Nancy’s story only deepened our admiration. Born in Mexico, she moved to Salinas at twelve, navigating a new language and culture with determination and grit. She supported herself through college and graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in sociology, a field shaped by her lived experiences.
Her path into winemaking began quietly. While working in the food and beverage industry, she developed a love for connection, hospitality, and eventually wine. In 2017, she began working for Debbie Thomas of Thomas Hill Organics, who became a mentor and helped her step into the world that would eventually define her. Relationships, encouragement, and her own relentless drive carried her into the winemaker she is today.
Wines That Tell Their Story
Their wines are extensions of who they are. You can taste them and feel impressed, but meeting these women, hearing their stories, and then returning to the glass reveals something richer. Each sip becomes a portrait.
The Wines of Nancy Ulloa
Nancy’s wines are unmistakably her own. They are flamboyant, fun, sensual, intriguing, and crafted with precision. She infuses a sense of mysticism into her work, often speaking about how crystals can influence the energy of a wine. Her bottles feel made for moments filled with friends, for dinners where conversation lingers and laughter stays at the table. She gravitates toward unconventional white varietals, often saying, “There are enough Chardonnays out in the world.”
The Wines of Neeta Mittal
Neeta’s wines tell a gentler story. Paired with her curated spices, they reveal elegance, grace, and cultural depth. Notes influenced by her Indian heritage weave through the experience, creating wines meant for slow enjoyment, meaningful conversations, and an appreciation of the present moment.
Neeta, Nancy, and Kunal arrived in Paso Robles not long ago, yet the community embraced them quickly. Their talent, vision, and generosity of spirit have earned them a place among the most admired voices in the region.
A Bordeaux Love Story: Neeta and Kunal’s Pursuit of Cabernet Franc
For Neeta and her husband, Kunal, Bordeaux wines are more than an interest. They are a passion. Cabernet Franc, in particular, holds a special place in their hearts. After settling in Paso Robles and launching the LXV label in 2011, the couple introduced CabFrancMasters, now in its fourth year. The program brings together producers and enthusiasts for seminars and tastings dedicated entirely to Cabernet Franc, including global comparisons that highlight the breadth and nuance of the varietal. The experience culminates in an elegant industry dinner featuring standout Paso Robles Bordeaux wines.
Their fascination with Bordeaux extends even further through Maison Mittal, a project rooted in Bordeaux-style winemaking. Working with grapes sourced from both Paso Robles and St. Emilion in France, the wines are released under the distinguished Global Grand Cru label, underscoring the ambition and refinement behind the venture.
To pursue excellence from the very beginning, Neeta and Kunal enlisted the highly regarded Jeffrey Streakas as their consulting winemaker. Together, their shared vision and expertise have elevated their work and made a notable impact on the wine landscape of Paso Robles and beyond.
The Distinct Spirits Behind Ulloa Cellars and LXV
Nancy Ulloa, along with Neeta and Kunal Mittal, has made a significant and lasting impact on the beverage industry. Each has navigated challenges tied to ethnicity, adaptation, and finding belonging in unfamiliar cultural landscapes. Their backgrounds are distinct, their visions unique, yet all three have carved meaningful space for themselves in Paso Robles.
Drawn instinctively to both the craft and the community, they achieved in a few short years what many pursue for decades. They value the support they found in Paso Robles and have become known for their creativity, their generosity of spirit, and their forward-thinking approach to the future of the industry. Their work continues to be celebrated in major publications, and they remain frequent recipients of awards, honors, and professional recognition.
What truly elevates Ulloa Cellars and LXV is the deeply human story behind each bottle.
Nancy Ulloa: Strength, Vision, and the Power of Reinvention
Nancy’s vision centers on community empowerment, advocacy, and personal growth. She hopes to be a role model for women and for those from underrepresented backgrounds, reminding them that “we all have the ability to create the life of our dreams. We must get rid of limiting beliefs that keep us small. We are all deserving, and the universe is not on a budget limiting personal success.” Her life is proof of that belief. She has faced and overcome challenges that would have stopped many, yet she continues to rise.
Nancy once told me that she hoped her father would feel proud of her accomplishments and the obstacles she overcame to reach this point. I told her that he already knew. From the moment she arrived in this country and took control of her own path, he understood that his sacrifices would lead to something extraordinary. And indeed, they have.
Today, Nancy is a powerhouse. With her husband, Tim Small, she is building a new label, The Witch and the Warlock, a project infused with imagination, personality, and fearless creativity. These are people and wines you want to meet.
The year 2025 has been especially meaningful for Nancy. Twenty-five years after immigrating to the United States, she married, received her U.S. residency after years in the DACA program, and was honored by Wine Enthusiast Magazine as one of the Future 40 Tastemakers of 2025.
When I first met Nancy in 2021, she told me, “I am extremely grateful for all the lessons this year brought, but am even more excited for the expansion I will be experiencing in 2021. It is scary to know I will be managing my own business, but I am ready to learn, grow, and go places I never thought were possible.” As Dr. Seuss might have said to her, “Oh, the places you’ll go.”
(*from Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss)
Neeta and Kunal Mittal: Mysticism, Logic, and the Art of Meaning
Neeta and Kunal grew up in India, a place celebrated for its mysticism, spirituality, and philosophical depth. Their parents were trained in the sciences, so it was natural for both of them to pursue engineering. As Neeta said, “We came to America for graduate school, two engineers chasing logic. Then Paso Robles found us in 2011, and logic quietly left the room. The landscape felt like a homecoming: the intimacy of India, the wilderness of the West, the humility of the vines of Bordeaux.”
Their journey into winemaking emerged through serendipity and through the blending of Eastern and Western influences. Neeta began pairing spices with wine while working with cancer patients, helping them rediscover flavor during recovery. “Using spices to help survivors rediscover flavor reminded me that taste is memory, and memory is identity,” she said.
Regarding Paso Robles, her smile softened as she shared, “Paso has the raw material to be the cultural capital of California wine. I want to help write that collective script.”
When I asked Neeta about her long-term aspirations, both in the broader industry and in the daily act of creation, she answered, “I want to create meaning in a world learning to live between the real and the artificial. If our work can remind people that the human hand, the human heart still matter, that will be enough.”
It is no wonder that Neeta and Kunal Mittal, as well as Nancy Ulloa, have been recognized by Wine Enthusiast as visionaries, trendsetters, and tastemakers shaping the future.
A Final Reflection
My wife and I have been fortunate to meet many remarkable people in this world, yet few have made the impression that Nancy, Neeta, and Kunal have. Their awards and recognition are well earned, but their greatest qualities remain their warmth, their authenticity, and their ability to inspire others simply by being themselves.
For us, and for those we have introduced to them, the one element that surpasses even their remarkable craft is their genuine friendship. Sip their wines, notice the twinkle in their eyes, and you will feel a connection that is both magical and lasting.
Don Sonderling is a freelance writer covering California’s Wine Country lifestyle, and culture. He and his wife are constantly sipping their way from Santa Barbara to Napa, focusing on Paso Robles and the Central Coast, where they have explored for about 25 years. Don has earned his WSET2 (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) certification, has completed the Bourgogne Masterclass through the Napa Valley Wine Academy, and is a member of the LA. Wine Writers.
Focusing on the people and unique experiences to be had, Don’s goal is to have people read about California’s amazing wine country adventures, seeing it through his eyes, and say: “I want to go there, try that, meet them,” and enrich the lives of others as his has been, by exploring California’s wine roads.
