Ashley Hepworth | Source | Wine Consultant at Ashley Hepworth Wine Consulting

Winemaking is truly a blend of science, artistry, and tradition. As a wine industry consultant, I help wine industry professionals, owners and brands find the balance between these pillars. I advance winemaking practices throughout the Napa Valley. I work to establish critical quality control protocols and a robust list of requirements for vendors to ensure wine industry professionals are using the very best resources to produce their wines.

My philosophy is to let the vintage variations shine through. I believe in creating a solid base that holds consistency and greatness, with variations that keep wine lovers returning year after year. I work with the vintage and bring the best out within the blends.

A BIT OF MY HISTORY
I fell in love with the world of wine and had a deep curiosity for winemaking during my years in the kitchen at the famed Charlie Trotter’s restaurant in Chicago. I became fascinated with Charlie’s ability to create dishes and pair them seamlessly with wines. It was easy to see how the right wine could bring a meal together and connect people in new ways. This led me to take a harvest internship at Joseph Phelps in 1999. I never looked back.

During my 24 years at Joseph Phelps Vineyards, I served under the two previous winemakers and had the opportunity to work the 2005 harvest at Chateau Angelus (a Premier Grand Cru Classé A - Saint-Emilion).

I took on the position of winemaker in 2008 and went on to oversee the production of the vineyard’s award-winning Napa Valley wines, including its flagship wine Insignia, Single-Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Backus as its Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, and Delice.

HOW I’LL HELP YOUR WINE PRODUCTION
As anyone in this industry can attest, there is no perfect way to create a great bottle of wine, and we all succeed by learning from each other. If you are looking for support in accelerating your winemaking practices, reach out! I would love to help you solve your challenges:

Grape to Bottle Wine Consulting:
◆ Vineyard Evaluation & Sourcing
◆ Harvest Best Practices
◆ Blending
◆ Bottling

Cellar and Manufacturing Best Practices:
◆ Sanitation
◆ Logistics Management
◆ Laboratory Analysis Decisions & Interpretation
◆ Purveyor Choices
◆ Building Design
◆ Equipment Selection