Tess Gonnella, Founder

Sento Bene's founder Tess Gonnella grew up in Sonoma County, one of the jewels of the Northern California wine country. She grew up in a family-owned Italian restaurant where wine was a part of every meal and happily recalls her grandfather making homemade wine from vineyards she ran barefoot through as a child. It is here where Tess' deep appreciation and connection to her heritage and the tradition of winemaking was born.

In 2011 Tess took a break from corporate America, leaving the biotech and pharmaceutical industries to follow her lifelong passion for food and wine and moved to Northern Italy to connect to her roots and learn more about winemaking. Here her nickname “Tess” was born, as she affectionately became known to the locals.

For Tess, wine has always been more than the quality of the grape and the techniques used to create it. She treasures how a good bottle of wine can bring friends and family together in the spirit of community. Mi Sento Bene means " I feel good" in Italian, and it's the hope that when drinking a glass of Sento Bene you feel good connecting to others, being a part of your community, and enjoying life.

Tess is back working in corporate America in the biopharmaceutical industry, and in her spare time is a developing lifestyle expert through her blog tessgonnella.com. She is a motivational speaker and philanthropist and is living in New York City, celebrating life – moments both big and small and is feeling good by doing good.