Ashley Hepworth Promoted to Winemaker

On October 28, 2008, Bill Phelps, president of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, and Damian Parker, Director of Winemaking, announced that Ashley Hepworth has been promoted to winemaker.

Ashley joined Phelps in 1999 as a harvest intern, and stayed to become laboratory technician and enologist. In 2004 she was promoted to Associate Winemaker, working closely with Damian overseeing day-to-day winemaking operations.

Ashley attended Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado where she earned a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Her passion for wine is matched by her love of fine food, and her college years were marked by positions in the kitchens of some of Durango’s finest restaurants, and later celebrated chef Charlie Trotter in Chicago.

In 2006, to further her education, Ashley earned a Winemaking Certificate from the Viticulture and Enology Department at the University of California at Davis.

Ashley reflects on her years at JPV: “The quality that Phelps has created in our estate vineyards is exceptional,” she explains. “Working together with the talented vineyard and production teams and creating world class wines is an honor. Every day as a team we explore ways to improve our winegrowing and winemaking practices. I am proud to be part of Joseph Phelps and its future."