Julianne Donnini, Winemaker/Co-Owner- Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery

Little did Julianne Donnini know, but her legal career prepared her well for a life of winemaking at Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery in Pilesgrove. She and her husband, Scott, were lawyers living and working in Philadelphia and wanted a lifestyle change. To mark their wedding anniversary in 2003 they did something most people don’t do: They bought property to start a vineyard. Donnini soon realized her interests and strengths were in the winery, not in the vineyard. There was one hitch: She did not have winemaking experience.

Here is where her legal training became a benefit. As a plain-tiff’s attorney, Jules regularly immersed herself in learning the ins and outs of any industry. To learn how to make wine, she went to conferences and worked with consultants, but she also credits her skill set of being observant, detail oriented, and an excellent note-taker. “I don’t have a somm [sommelier] vocabulary, but my palate is definite and may be a natural instinct,” she says. “What skills I have learned in my previous work, though, have served me as well as a winemaker.”

Her commitment to injecting a certain ethos into the winery operations has made it a welcoming and nurturing environment for many women. “From the beginning, our approach to life, not just the winery, has been to treat each other, staff, customers, and the land with respect.”

Auburn Road recently joined the Winemakers’ Co-op in New Jersey, where she is the only female lead winemaker. There were not many women actively involved in winemaking in the state when she started, but she sees opportunities growing for women. “More women are in STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] and ag programs than ever before, and opportunities will only keep shifting and widening.”

While she wishes she had more time to actively mentor women, she realizes “seeing people like me helps other women, and if someone calls, I always make time to pick up the phone and help.”

Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery
117 Sharptown-Auburn Rd., Pilesgrove
auburnroadvineyards.com