Yashodhan Naravane (‘Billo’) is the owner and winemaker of Rasa Vineyards, an artisanal, world-class winery that he founded with his brother in 2007 in Walla Walla, WA. Prior to starting the winery, Billo studied Viticulture and Enology at the world-renowned program at UC Davis. He earned a Master of Science degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis in 2008.
In 2017, Billo became a Master of Wine (mastersofwine.org). The Master of Wine designation is the most highly regarded title in the wine world. Currently there are approximately 400 Masters of Wine worldwide, of which roughly 30 or so are also winemakers.
Prior to making the transition to the wine industry, Billo worked in the technology sector. He studied Mathematics and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS in 1990) and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University (MS in 1993). Billo worked as a senior consultant and manager at several technology companies including Oracle, Netscape, and Hewlett Packard.
In addition to his duties at Rasa Vineyards, Billo loves to help other serious wine aficionados realize their artistic visions for their wines and grapes. He provides consulting winemaking and viticulture services for the following clients: Dossier Wines, Rivaura, RR Poet, and Echo Ridge Cellars. Billo also loves to teach. He used to be an Adjunct Professor at Washington State University, but currently focuses on teaching at various Master of Wine events.
Billo is incredibly thankful that he hasn’t written a line of code in approximately 15 years. When he is not making wine, teaching about wine, or drinking wine, he can often be found tinkering on the piano or, much to the chagrin of his wife, reading theoretical mathematics texts. Actually, he is just as likely to be learning magic tricks or reading Spiderman comic books or playing chess or smoking a fine cigar.