Sam Tannahill graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA, and received a post graduate degree from the University de Dijon. In 2002 Sam and his wife, Cheryl Francis, founded A to Z Wineworks with their partners, Bill and Deb Hatcher. In 2007 A to Z Wineworks acquired REX HILL. A to Z is one of Oregon's largest wineries and has led sustainability in the wine industry by becoming a certified LIVE winery, a founding member of the Governor’s Climate Challenge and in 2014 the world’s first B Corp certified winery.

Sam has chaired the Oregon Business Association, the Oregon Wine Board and the Oregon Winegrowers Association, was a member of the Nature Conservancy’s Oregon Business Leaders’ Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Task Force, the International Pinot Noir Celebration Board and the Governor’s GMO Task Force. He currently serves on the board of the Oregon Business Council, Oregon Business and Industry, Oregon State’s Food Science and Technology Advisory Board, Business Oregon's Futures Commission, and is co-founder of the Oregon Food and Beverage Leadership Council.