Meet Chelsey Blevins

We recently connected with Chelsey Blevins and have shared our conversation below.

Chelsey, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Since I was a young woman, I was determined to find my calling, I imagined myself in so many different roles and scenarios but nothing quite felt right to me. I continued on my journey but even when I was in college I changed my major so many different times, from botany, to kinesiology, to holistic medical practitioner, etc. I finally got to a point where I wasn’t exactly sure who I was supposed to be, so I settled on a very broad degree in science with a focus on psychology. It was only after I obtained my degree and exited college that my purpose ran headfirst into me.

I had just graduated college, broken up with my long term boyfriend of 5 years and moved back home with my parents essentially starting my life up from ground zero. I had gone to a job interview one day, and on my way home I realized I had the whole afternoon to kill. I happened to drive by a winery, and felt compelled to stop for a tasting.

As I entered the tasting room, it was empty, there was only the tasting room staff member and I. So we started up a big conversation about wine and he realized I was very interested in not only their products but the winemaking process. I was then invited to take a tour and while on the tour I met the winemaker. By the end of our tour the winemaker was impressed with my questions and ended up offering me a harvest position.

I was fully honest and told him I have zero experience and quite frankly minimal knowledge but he saw something in me that I couldn’t quite see at the time. I ended up accepting his offer and joined their team for the 2014 harvest.

During those 2 months of harvest we brought in and processed 504 tons of grapes (1,008,000 lbs.). We worked 12-16 hour days for 2 months straight and during that time I fell head over heels in love. I developed a very deep appreciation for winemaking and the Virginia Wine Industry. I’ve known since that harvest that this was my destiny. I was meant to make wine. Since my first harvest I have grown from a “cellar rat” into a winemaker through straight up grit, determination, resilience and passion. I always tell folks I never knew I could be a winemaker growing up, it was something I would have never considered in a thousand years. Winemaking found me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My role in this world is to make wine, not just any wine but Virginia Wine. The same minerals and water that flows through our soils, and the xylem/phloem of our vines are the same that have been flowing through my veins my entire life. I feel as connected to Virginia’s unique terroir as the vines are, our roots are intertwined into one. Every year we bring in our harvest and it is my duty to transform those grapes into a tangible art form. I do not indulge in recipe winemaking which means that I do not process the grapes in the same way or fashion every year. My goal is to understand what mother nature has truly given us and to craft the wines in a way that will bring out the best characteristics in what we have been given.

As far as my winemaking style goes I am all about staying true to the flavors of the grapes themselves, and finding a balance between alcohol, acidity, tannin, fruit and tertiary characteristics. 90% of our wines are aged in Stainless Steel or Neutral barrels as I want to respect the fruit as much as possible. My fermentations are kept at lower temperatures to preserve aromatics, freshness and fruit characters so my wines are expressive, refreshing and full of character. I work with both the traditional European vinifera grapes (such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot) but I am also very interested and have spent many years researching and making wines from Hybrid grapes as well (Chardonel, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin).

Hybrid grapes have been ostracized in the wine industry because they aren’t considered the “classic”, “precious” varieties that most folks are familiar with. And there is a huge negative bias against hybrid grapes because of the GMO movement. That being said Hybrid grapes aren’t some crazy lab concoctions. They are simply varieties that have been crossbred by pollen to produce grapes that contain specific traits that folks may be looking for in the vineyard. It has been a personal mission of mine to bring more light to these varieties and show the world that not only do they perform better in the vineyard (as they require less spraying, less labor and are much more sustainable) but that they can actually produce premier world class wine as well.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three most important qualities/skills that you would want to have to enter the wine industry I would say are:
1. The ability to creatively think on your feet and to always be flexible. Mother Nature has a mind of her own and you have to do the best you can to roll with her punches. You always have a plan in mind but you also have to always have plan B, C, D, E, etc. on the backburner because you can never be 100% certain the plans will go the way you anticipate.

2. Chemistry. Yes there is a lot of Chemistry in winemaking, you do want to have some comfortability/familiarity with it. I highly recommend taking a college level Chemistry class before jumping into the industry head on. Also, I have found getting comfortable with doing conversions is extremely important as I do them many times everyday. I am constantly having to measure out products; most use the metric system, some don’t depending on where they are made. I also go back and forth between liters and gallons all day long. You really want to get comfortable with these sorts of calculations.

3. Resiliency. You have to be resilient in this industry, it is extremely competitive and it is very easy to get your ego tied up with your products. You have to be able to handle criticism in a constructive manner and not let it tear you down. You have to be able to pick yourself back up and keep going no matter what. As beautiful and fun as this industry is, it will challenge your physical, mental, and emotional well being.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

In the last 12 months my biggest area of growth has been finding a balance between being a mom of a two year old while also running a winery. I am the default parent so that comes with a lot of added responsibilities as well. I have struggled with asking for help my entire life and having my son has pushed me to ask for a lot more help than I used to be comfortable with.

That being said I feel my vulnerability with others has strengthened bonds and trust with my coworkers and family that may not have happened otherwise. I am an extremely independent person and this has shown me that I don’t have to carry the weight of the world on only my shoulders. It’s ok to share the load.

It’s a work in progress but I feel that I am in a much better place emotionally now than I was 12 months ago. You don’t have to do every thing on your own, there are people who love you and would love to help you if they can. Take it from me, have the courage to ask for help and accept it gracefully. Your whole outlook and life will vastly improve if you do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://53rdwinery.com
• Instagram: 53rdwineryandvineyard
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/53rdWinery

Image Credits

N/A these are my personal pictures