Ashley Holland
USA
Ashley's Wines
- USA
- 2 wines
- 2 styles
She's grounded in Sonoma and Anderson Valley, but for Ashley - sky's the limit
- Ashley began in sales, but fell in love with winemaking. She honed her skills – 19 harvests! – in the US, Australia, Uruguay and New Zealand. Three Sticks' Pinot Noir legend Bob Cabral lured her to Sonoma to become associate winemaker.
- With 90+ wine ratings under her belt, Ashley is up for it all – Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, Washington whites and more. She’s poised to explore new regions and dive into tanks and barrels to discover wines alongside you!
- Angel funding gives Ashley the opportunity to focus on special vineyards that have piqued her interest for years. Her mission – to bring them to life in the bottle. Your support allows her to make wines that are an affordable luxury.
Ashley Holland's Story
A serendipitous road brought Ashley Holland to winemaking. She grew up in Oklahoma riding horses. She hoped to become an equine veterinarian. While studying animal science, she took an elective class called International Beverage Education. After a couple of wine-focused sessions, she quickly realized the science she was studying to become a veterinarian also applied to winemaking, but had a creative side that animal science didn’t have.
Ashley has been in the wine industry since 2005. Initially, she took a job with E & J Gallo Winery in Colorado working in off-premise sales. This experience furthered her interest in winemaking. A few years later, she made the move to California.
During her first year, she procured Merlot, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from a friend’s vineyard. While hand cranking the old wooden basket press, the overwhelming desire to concentrate solely on winemaking really hit her. She moved into full-time winery production in 2010.
Ashley worked in Australia, Uruguay, Oregon, Sonoma, Anderson Valley, Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Rita Hills. Her mission was to experience as many harvests around the world as possible. Since then, she has worked 19 in both hemispheres. She also lived and worked in New Zealand for a few years before being lured back to California by Bob Cabral at Three Sticks to become associate winemaker. She launched her own winemaking business, Read Holland, in 2016. She loves being her own boss and making wine her way, creating something that scholars have described as touching all of one’s senses.
Ashley’s style is to bring the vineyard to life in her wines, to shepherd them in the direction of their true north. She wants them to be unabashedly themselves. Her wines are her love songs and poems, testaments to the beauty and wonder in the world. She makes them to bring joy to someone's day and enrich life’s experiences.
Ashley loves the seasonality of winemaking. She always has her eye on great vineyards. She is truly like a kid in the candy store ogling them all. Angel funding allows her to return to her favorites as well as work with new ones she’s long wanted to work with. Angels are making her winemaking dreams come true!
Ashley has been watching Naked Wines since its inception. But, she needed experience abroad and time to sort out her thoughts on winemaking. Having this opportunity present itself felt like it was meant to be. Timing is truly everything.
