Winemakers
Meet our wonderful Winemakers
Anne Vawter
Former Winemaker
2012-2018
Anne Vawter loves horses and wine. Growing up on a farm in Walla Walla, Washington, Anne developed a deep appreciation for agriculture from her father, and inherited his love of wine. He introduced her to wine through tastings of Leonetti, L’Ecole No. 41, and other wines from that region. After graduating from University of California, Davis with a B.S. degree in Viticulture and Enology in 2002, she worked in wineries in Washington, California, and for an extended harvest season in Chile as the crew boss for Caliterra. Her arrival in Napa brought her to Paradigm Winery in Oakville, where she became Heidi Barrett’s assistant for four years. Anne credits much of her own winemaking style to that period, but continues to challenge and test her palate. She frequently travels to both old and new winemaking regions in her quest for more knowledge.
Jennifer Rue
Former Co-Winemaker
2012-2018
Jennifer’s foray into winemaking began in 1995 when, instead of graduate school, she moved to Napa making an auspicious landing in the Oakville Appellation. Her 11-year stint at Miner Family Winery presented Jennifer the opportunity to work with numerous upper echelon winemakers from around the world who quietly custom crushed there at the time. This supercharged education exposed her to many winemaking styles, tools, and a range of varietals from across Napa and California’s many sub-appellations and established her as a winemaker’s winemaker.
Serendipity struck again in 2010 when Jennifer reunited with friend and fellow Oakville winemaker, Anne Vawter while working as her assigned production winemaker at another well-known custom crush winery.
In 2014, when Anne’s portfolio grew to include another of Jennifer’s assigned projects, Hoopes, they decided it was a good time to officially join forces. Jennifer and Anne have an unusual partnership for Napa that speaks to their common pursuits of excellence beyond personality and hierarchy. Jennifer’s meticulous and focused winemaking complements Anne’s wide-ranging wine knowledge, instincts, ease, and flow.
Approaching her third decade in the wine industry, Jennifer’s deep knowledge of wine growing and skillful execution of precise winemaking techniques is reflected in the incredible Hoopes wines you taste today. Outside of winemaking, Jennifer keeps herself busy with gardening, exploring an eclectic range of hobbies and fermentation of all sorts. Jennifer lives in Alta Heights, Napa with her family and animal menagerie.