Inspiring Conversations with Nancie Oxley of St. Julian Winery & Distillery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancie Oxley.

Hi Nancie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I began my career during my undergraduate Food Science studies when I assisted enologist Dr. Richard Vine in making wine as a part of Purdue University’s grape and wine research program, as well as assisting in the coordination of the Indy International Wine Competition. In the fall of 2001, I completed an internship at the prestigious Geyser Peak in Sonoma, California, working under the tutelage of Winemaker Daryl Groom. Growing up in the Midwest, I came back “home” to share my love of the vineyards and the appellation. 

Recognized as Michigan’s first female winemaker, I joined St. Julian in 2002 as the Assistant Winemaker, moved up the ranks to Head Winemaker in 2010 and to Vice President in 2017. I am seriously committed to St. Julian’s ability to produce world-class wines. My high energy and enthusiasm for winemaking is empowered by two postgraduate degrees in 2010, a Masters in Agribusiness Management from Purdue University and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. In 2013, I was awarded the Outstanding Food Science Alumni Award from Purdue University. I was also awarded the Class of 2019 Fruit & Vegetable Grower’s 40 Under 40. 

I was awarded the 2019 Distinguished Agriculture Alumni Award from Purdue University’s College of Agriculture. Honorees must have a demonstrated record of outstanding accomplishments, have made significant contributions to his/her profession or society in general, and exhibit high potential for future professional growth. 

My most prestigious honor was being given the title of Purdue University Old Master in 2022. Old Masters is a long-standing Purdue tradition that aims to connect distinguished professionals to the student body in order to broaden perspectives, promote excellence, and inspire generations to move the world forward as Boilermakers. 

I try to be a guiding force behind the high standards and quality-focused wines we produce at St. Julian. I’ve been told that my outgoing and pleasant nature, along with my energy-backed positive attitude, have combined to make me an approachable and respected winemaker amongst the wine industry. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have been blessed working for a company that allows me to express my creativity. That’s been a huge part of why I have been with the company for so long. The first 15 years of my tenure David Braganini was at the helm. He was a huge proponent of allowing his winemakers to express their creativity. Upon his passing, his brother John took over, and now John’s son Apollo. They both continued that same tradition of allowing me to express my creativity through winemaking. They both have said that they don’t want to inhibit any of inspiration coming from the winemaking team! Basically, saying run with it, do what you do. That’s what makes St. Julian’s portfolio what it is. And that’s what keeps me going every day. 

But it’s not just that; it’s the amazing team that I have here. So, we are a very large winery in terms of Michigan, per se. And I couldn’t do it without my crew. I’ve had the privilege of working with some of these guys for the entire 20+ years I have been here. Some are newer to the team. Some have been here for half the time, but their passion, their energy, seeing what they’re doing, and being part of this master game that we’re playing of Tetris fuels us daily. I feel like most days it’s the teamwork and the family aspect of this company. So, it’s a great crew. They’re fun to work with, whether it’s front of the house or production, and we all motivate each other day after day. We have a small team in terms of winemaking. We have around 20 people that are part of the production team. It’s a lean and mean crew. We all wear a lot of different hats to get the fruit in the door, pressed, fermented, filtered, blended, bottled, and out the door to our customers! 

St. Julian has always made sweet, fortified wines. One of our most well-known wines is probably our Solera Cream Sherry. But there is so much more to this winery. Granted, we are still making some of those sweeter style wines, but we also produce world-class varietals like Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon, to name a few. Our portfolio currently has well over 200 different wines, sparkling juices, ciders, and spirits. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
St. Julian has been in business for over 100 years. That’s a feat for a Michigan business, but for a Michigan winery, it’s quite remarkable. We were founded in 1921 by Mariano Meconi. He immigrated from Falaria, Italy, to Windsor, Ontario. At that time, it was Prohibition, so he was making wine in Canada. And as soon as Prohibition was over, he moved the winery across the river to Detroit and we were there for two years. 

Grapes back then were in Southwest Michigan because Welch is just four miles south of our current location. Horse and buggies were used to transport grapes from one side of the state to the other, which proved not to be the best business model. In 1936, they moved the winery to the heart of grape country. There was a lot of rich agricultural history in our building prior to St. Julian moving in. The railway actually went right in between our buildings, and they used our one of our current barrel sellers is an old icehouse. The local farmers would chip blocks of ice off of the local lakes to bring here so they could load rail cars to ship out fresh fruits and vegetables to Chicago and Detroit. 

St. Julian has been at the forefront of the industry since the beginning. We continue to support other wineries, industry groups, and our grower partners to continue the tradition of nurturing Michigan agriculture products. We are wholeheartedly committed to Michigan-grown agriculture. For the 2023 harvest season, we crushed 4000 tons of grapes and cherries. 100% of them are coming from Southwest Michigan, all within the Lake Michigan Shore AVA. Occasionally, we do work with growers up in the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsula, but Michigan is our thing. Our belief is to be a true Michigan winery; you must grow grapes in your backyard. We already know Napa makes fantastic wines Sonoma, New York, Oregon. There are all these great wine regions of the world, but in order to build to their notoriety, they are all growing grapes locally, not bringing in from other areas. 

That is what we are trying to do at St. Julian. We are committed to this great state. It’s been a huge effort and undertaking. We have over 1000 acres that are contracted with local growers all down in southwest Michigan. We even own an estate vineyard – John and Sarah Braganini maintain a 25-acre Mountain Road Estate vineyard in Coloma. We are able to push the limits of the vineyard, manipulate vineyard techniques, and push boundaries on this site that we don’t expect our growers to normally do. But we are committed to Michigan – Michigan grapes, Michigan cherries, Michigan blueberries, peaches, apples, pears, raspberries…you name it, and we have turned it into a wine or spirit! And speaking of spirits, we have a new bourbon program, and we’re working with Michigan corn, barley and rye! 

St. Julian is now 100% employee-owned, so all of us who are owners are committed to the excellence and success of the winery. 

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Be open and willing to learn from those who walked the rough path before you. Their guidance, knowledge, and experiences can be invaluable tools for your future growth. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stjulian.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stjulianwinery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StJulianWinery
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/st-julian-wine-company-02099561/

Image Credits
St. Julian Employees