5 minute read
The Art and Science of Wine
By Wendy VanArsdale
How a Former Chemical Engineer Overcame the Odds to Become Red Mountain’s First Venezuelan-American Winemaker
Ellie Zeron graduated from college in Venezuela in 1999 and headed to the United States with a dream. She came on an exchange visitor visa and when her time was up she would return to her country to share and use what she had learned. She was a young woman with a passion, wanting to put her Chemical Engineering degree to use at any of the steel manufacturing industries in her hometown in Bolivar State. She loved her internship experience and the feeling of being out in the field with hard hats and steel toed boots doing hands-on work. She was a strong, smart, and driven young woman making a place for herself in a male dominated field. She had no idea that her life would turn out so very different than what she had planned.
She gained valuable experience in her field of study and she was ready to return to her homeland— but there was a catch.
Ellie learned the English language as she gained experience in oil and gas. She met her husband in Dallas and the two of them started a family. When it was time to return to Venezuela she thought she accomplished her mission. She gained valuable experience in her field of study and was ready to return to her homeland—a country known for having the largest proven oil reserves in the world, rich in minerals such as iron, gold, bauxite and diamonds.
But there was a catch.
Her home country was not the same as when she had left. Her husband worried for the safety of his wife and daughter. Venezuela had been a democratic government since 1958, but that was changing. Political instability made the country dangerous. Her visa required that she spend a minimum of two years in her home country before she could return to the U.S., so her husband stayed behind and worked hard to get a waiver. He was successful and nine months later was able to bring his family back home.
Ellie’s new goal: to have a vineyard that would source quality grapes for her winemaking dream job, her own business.
Still wanting to use her chemistry background she set her mind to find a way. Now living in Washington State, the large wine industry sparked her interest. It was a trip to Napa and Sonoma that helped solidify that desire—she fell in love with the vineyards!
Ellie and her husband welcomed a second child, a baby boy, into their family and she continued traveling with her husband and two children while studying wine. She enrolled in the University of California Davis Extension Program and in 2012 earned the Winemaker Certification. She balanced family and motherhood with her winemaking education while working as a language consultant for federal law enforcement offices. It was an interesting and exciting position that played a key role in the financial aspect of Ellie’s new goal: having a vineyard that would source quality grapes for her winemaking dream job, her own business.
Ellie set out to find land in the Red Mountain AVA, which turned into a six-year search as property in that area is highly sought after and not often available. In 2016 she and her husband finally got the opportunity to purchase 5 acres of property without water rights;it was what they could afford, and she held hope that somehow, she would figure the rest out. That next spring life sent her a pleasant surprise. The previous property owner had been on the KID waiting list for several years and her property was finally up for irrigation—she had water!
Three years later, with the help of many friends and family, she was able to harvest the grapes for her flagship wines."
Ellie named the business Zeron Vineyards and in 2018 they planted and set the trellis system slowly, as they could afford it. Three years later, with the help of many friends and family, she was able to harvest the grapes for her flagship wines. She is quick to credit those who helped her, including the vineyard workers, who she refers to as “my helpers and my friends.”
Ellie’s boutique winery and tasting room is slated to open in the spring of 2023. Ellie is the first VenezuelanAmerican winemaker in Red Mountain and she envisions the winery as a platform to showcase wines made with the fruit of the hard-working hands of her helper friends, with fun and diverse music in the background, exhibits of local artists, delicious cuisine from local food trucks, and of course bilingual tastings and educational sessions for the community and local businesses.
I asked Ellie what one thing she would want people reading this article to know about her, and her answer was so authentic and real. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said “This country has so much to offer…. it is so beautiful. Everything is there—you just have to work for it, and you will get it. I am forever grateful!”
We are excited for the grand opening and realization of Ellie’s dream. Watch our Events page on tayloredlivingmagazine.com where we’ll post information when the date and time are set.
