OVID, NY, January, 2017 /Hosmer Winery/ -- The last month of 2016 was a busy one for winemaker Aaron Roisen, as he was busy working alongside Julia Hoyle, showing her the ins and outs of the winemaking facility at Hosmer Winery. Julia Hoyle has joined the Hosmer team as the new head winemaker as of the first of the year.
"I consider the past 9 years that I have been making wine at Hosmer to be the most formative and influential of my winemaking career and I would certainly not be the winemaker I am today without the support of the Hosmer team," states Aaron Roisen, winemaker at Hosmer Winery from August 2007 to December 2016. "I cannot think of a better person to take my place in the cellar than Julia. She is one of the most talented and recognized up and coming winemakers in the Finger Lakes and a perfect fit for Hosmer."
Born in Philadelphia, Julia found herself in the the Finger Lakes by way of Hobart and William Smith Colleges where she studied French and Women's Studies. After her college degree she spent time abroad both in France (Avignon, teaching English) and in Senegal. In 2009, as a college student, she took a job in the tasting room at Fox Run vineyards on Seneca Lake. After a couple of years working there, her interest in winemaking took her from the tasting room into the cellar. After working at Fox Run, Julia spent a harvest in the cellar at Atwater Winery before taking a full time position as assistant winemaker at Sheldrake Point Winery in December of 2013. From January to April of 2015 she took a sabbatical to work in South Australia as the night shift white wine maker at Yalumba Winery, Australia's oldest family winery. She then returned to Sheldrake Point where she had been until her transition to Hosmer Winery.
Julia's winemaking style is very consistent with the style of the former winemaker, Aaron. Focus is on the quality of fruit with as little as possible added to the wine, in order to make it reflective of the soil, grape, season, and growing condition. Julia is looking forward to working with the estate grown fruit at Hosmer Winery, when asked to name a couple things she is "stand-out excited about" when it comes to making wine here she answered, "the extremely diverse and expanding Riesling portfolio" and "our estate red vinifera, especially the Hosmer Cabernet Franc"!
Hosmer Winery is open year round on the west side of Cayuga Lake at 7020 Route 89 in Ovid, NY and at Hosmerwinery.com.
