EMILY JONES : SLATE MILL WINE COLLECTIVE + SLATE THEORY

Back in Fredericksburg, Emily Jones is following her own passion in the field. Before she was the Vineyard Manager at Slate Mill Wine Collective and Slate Theory Winery, the twenty-eight-year-old grew up in D’Hanis to a family of ranchers and farmers. Her education led her to Texas Tech University where she met a professor named Dr. Cynthia McKenney who encouraged her to pursue a vocation in viticulture.

As she explored her options, the complexity and ageold nature of winemaking began to draw her in. She started working at Texas A&M’s AgriLife extension in 2016, managing the small research vineyard there. At the same time, she was commuting in the early mornings to Farmhouse Vineyards in Meadow, where she helped sample their vineyards around harvest time.

In 2018, Jones moved to Fredericksburg and took a job at 1851 Vineyards. As fate would have it, she met her husband on the first day of work. Shortly thereafter, his family partnered with and ultimately acquired the vineyard. Together, they rebranded 1851 as Slate Mill Wine Collective and turned it into a custom-crush facility, giving partnered wineries access to the space and equipment needed for the winemaking process, from crush to fermentation, bottling and storage. “It is expensive to make wine and to have a facility to make wine in,” said Jones. Currently, they are working with ten custom crush clients across the state, while also running their own winery off of US-290 called Slate Theory.

Today, Jones admits to feeling a shift in the industry as it becomes increasingly inclusive of female talent. Maureen Qualia feels it too. Qualia is an Instructor of Enology in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Texas Tech University in Fredericksburg. “Viticulture and enology have long been male-dominated industries, just like many other industries where the work is physically demanding,” she shared. “I think women are breaking barriers in many industries and wine is just one. Education certainly plays a role in increasing female participation.” From 2014 to Summer 2021, the overall enrollment at the school’s winemaking certificate program was 63% male and 37% female. With its hands-on training and networking opportunities, one can only hope those numbers will keep rising.

Like Sherah Mills and Mckenzie Sanvido, Jones is an expert juggler, handling everything from social marketing to vineyard management, along with tasting room tasks and wine club responsibilities. Farming, however, is the greatest joy of all, and one that has taught her the importance of patience. “I think it makes us better people. Things don’t always go your way but you figure it out.”

After a hard day’s work, Jones and her husband like heading outside with Chloe, their Mini Australian Shepherd, and Clyde, their Mini Goldendoodle and full-time rabbit patrol. “That is how we like to end our day,” she said. “We load them up in the buggy, take a glass of wine, drive through the vines, and watch the sunset. It is everything to us.”

Five generations ago our family began farming in India, cultivating crops of cocoa, coconuts, rice, and turmeric. Today, our family calls Texas home. We believe our wines exemplify how the blending of two cultures can create something authentic, yet entirely new and exciting. Come experience a heritage reincarnated!