Welcome Jake!

The big, exciting news this month is the announcement of our new Assistant Winemaker, Jake Blodinger! Jake comes to Chrysalis Vineyards from our neighboring state, North Carolina, where he decided to pursue winemaking after years of managing a fine dining restaurant. After stepping away from the restaurant business, Jake wanted to get experience under his belt and took a job with a boutique winery in North Carolina as an Assistant Winemaker. Here he had the opportunity to work with an array of varieties; such as, Diamond, Sangiovese, Viognier, and various fruit wines. Jake quickly realized that he wanted to gain a more in-depth knowledge of winemaking and sought a degree in Viticulture and Enology from Surry Community College. It was here that Jake developed a passion for Albarino and sparkling wine. It was also where he first heard of Chrysalis Vineyards, after reading “The Wild Vine”.

Before joining our winery team, Jake was in the deep south working for several wineries. During his short stint in Georgia he worked on a special project developing a line of sparkling fruit and Muscadine wines. He also had the opportunity to work with a number of other European varieties. During this time Jake further developed a passion for native varieties and realized that his next goal was to work with Norton. As luck may have it, Jake saw that there was a position available at Chrysalis Vineyards and he jumped at the chance to join the team.

When asked what he’s looking forward to here at Chrysalis Vineyards, Jake replied, “I’m extremely excited to work with Jenni and Jason to further expand upon the potential of Norton.” His current favorite wines at Chrysalis are the Albariño, the 2016 Norton Locksley Reserve, and the 2017 Buttorfleoge. When he is not at the winery, Jake enjoys playing his guitar, to the dismay of his cats, and enjoying a beautiful day out hiking with his wife, Emily, and their dog Max.