Meet Jennie Murphy

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennie Murphy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennie below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jennie with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

Work ethic has always been incredibly important to me. It’s something that runs deep in my family, and it’s a big part of why I founded my wine brand, Oxlee Graham, and named it after my grandmothers. I’ve always looked up to them, and even though their styles of work were very different, they both embodied dedication, grit, and the drive to provide for their families.

My grandmother, Mabel Graham, worked her entire life. She took on many roles — a contractor, buying and selling homes, a short-order cook — and she approached every job with a no-nonsense attitude that earned her the nickname “The Sarge.” Work ethic was her legacy, one she passed to my dad and ultimately to me. From her, I learned that you work for what you get, and you take responsibility from start to finish.

On the other side of my family, my grandmother Elinor Oxley brought a completely different but equally powerful influence. She was a perfectionist in the best way — everything needed to be done correctly, neatly, and with intention. Her focus on detail, cleanliness, and doing things right shaped my own standards and expectations.

Together, their strengths form the backbone of how I run my business today. I work hard, I don’t procrastinate, and I make sure everything is handled thoroughly and thoughtfully. I care about the details, but I also care about the follow-through. Nothing gets left undone or unattended.

That blend of dedication and precision — hard work from Mabel, attention to detail from Elinor — is at the heart of my brand.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My name is Jennie Murphy, and I’m the owner and winemaker of Oxlee Graham Wines. My brand is built around the idea that wines can tell meaningful, authentic stories. Each wine comes from a carefully chosen cool-climate vineyard, and I partner with small, family-run growers who share my commitment to quality, sustainability, and genuine craftsmanship.

Every wine in the portfolio is named after a woman, and we love sharing her story alongside the bottle. We think of each wine as having its own personality—shaped by its site, its varietal, and the thoughtful approach we bring to the cellar.

In the winery, I keep the process as low-intervention as possible. All fermentations are native, and we use minimal sulfur additions. This helps us honor the fruit and the place it comes from, letting the wines speak naturally without too much influence from us.

Before founding Oxlee Graham, I spent 13 years at Paul Hobbs Winery, where I grew to the position of Director of Winemaking. My time there allowed me to hone my craft and work with a wide range of cooperages, clones, fermentation vessels, temperatures, and styles. It was an incredibly creative and formative chapter that helped me understand what excites me most about winemaking.

Starting my own brand has allowed that creative spirit to really come through. I now get to explore varietals that inspire me—including some I hadn’t worked with before—and discover new appellations that offer fresh perspectives and possibilities.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

There are three key skills that have really supported my journey toward becoming a business owner and founding my own winery.

First is attention to detail. I’ve always been someone who wants to understand every part of a project before diving in. Planning, logistics, and thinking through downstream effects are often overlooked by people eager to jump right in, but those pieces are essential. My ability to gather information, stay organized, and—even something as simple as building a solid spreadsheet—has helped me approach my business thoughtfully and with clarity.

Second is asking questions. I never walk into a situation assuming I know everything. I’d much rather listen, learn from the people around me, and ask thoughtful questions. I’ve been making wine since 2009, and I can honestly say I still learn something new every single day. Staying curious and open is one of the most important parts of growing in any craft.

And third is setting boundaries. This is something I learned later in my career. In the beginning, I wasn’t very good at balancing work and life or knowing when to say no. It’s something I’m still working on, but understanding what truly matters and protecting your time makes the whole journey smoother. I think anyone starting out in any field can benefit from identifying what’s important to them early on and giving themselves permission to uphold those boundaries.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

One of the biggest challenges I’m facing right now is building a fledgling company as a team of one. As the sole employee, I wear just about every hat. At my core, I’m a winemaker — that’s my craft and my passion, and it’s the reason I founded this brand. But running a young winery means I’m also the accountant, the salesperson, the vineyard liaison, the e-commerce manager, the fulfillment team, the customer service department, the gift curator, and the entire marketing and website staff.

Every order is packed by me. Every club shipment, handwritten note, product description, and piece of copy comes from my desk. And on top of it all, I’m ensuring that the wines — the heart of this whole venture — meet the standards I believe in.

It makes for a very long daily to-do list, and the toughest part is often deciding what deserves my attention first. Wine quality always comes first, but the reality is that we also have to sell that wine, tell our story, and build a presence in a crowded market. As a new brand, gaining traction and visibility takes time, persistence, and a lot of energy.

My hope is that as we grow, I’ll be able to bring in the right partners — people who can help carry pieces of the business so I can focus more deeply on what I do best: making beautiful wines. Until then, I’m doing the best I can to build something meaningful, one task (and one bottle) at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oxleegrahamwines.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oxleegrahamwines/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556032920895&mibextid=wwXlfr&mibex-tid=wwXlfr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennie-murphy-5a3685256/

Image Credits

Keegan Houser