The end of 2020 brought an exciting new addition to the Hocking Hills Winery team! 

We are pleased to announce that Ryan Scott has joined us as our new Winemaker! Through our time getting to know Ryan, it is evident that he is passionate about wine and winemaking, and we’re excited to welcome him! 

For this article we sat down with Ryan so you can learn more about Ryan, his background and his experience. 

Cheers!

Q: Where are you from?

33.1959° N, 117.3795° W by way of 33.0370° N, 117.2920° W. I know, I know, sounds like paradise, right? If you've ever watched Animal Kingdom, many scenes were filmed on streets I have lived on.

Q: How long have you been in the wine industry?

Just long enough that I'm confident in making wine and not long enough to believe I know what making wine is. I'm 10 years in and expect to feel this way in 40 more. Wine is vast and ever changing, as deep as that glass of Pinot that your gaze is drawn into.

Q: How did you get started in the wine industry?

I was summering in Burgundy and fell in love with wine through the eyes of a beautiful French winemaker. She educated me in wine as well as the beauty of simple, quiet moments. I wish I could say something poetic like that; however, none of that is true. I chose winemaking from a course catalog for the constant challenge, the continual need to learn and adapt, and the juxtaposition of working in a lab as well as with my hands.

Q: What attracted you to Hocking Hills Winery?

The passionate ownership and sound business decisions drew my attention. The potential in the wines and the grapes in the region sealed the deal. I expect to see more winemakers move to Ohio and for the world to take notice.

Q: Tell us about some awards you’ve won.

I've been lucky enough to receive many awards in my career including a Platinum Award/Best of Show from Winemaker Challenge International, a Four Star Gold/Best of Show from the Orange County Fair Wine Competition, two Best of Class from the Toast of tge Coast Wine Competition, five Double Golds from the San Francisco Chronicle, and 22 Gold Medals from the previous wine competitions as well as Monterey International, Sommelier Challenge International and Critic Challenge International.

Q: What has surprised you about being a winemaker?

I expected to be the hunchback shuffling around in the back of the winery never to be spoken of. More often than not I'm the mascot that is pulled out of the cellar to meet people or help host events. I expected winemakers to closely guard their "secrets," but have found that most are eager to share and offer advice.

Q: What is a common misconception of the role of a wine maker?

A lot of people are jealous of my job. A lot of people feel that I have one of the coolest jobs in the world, that I'm surrounded by beautiful women for two days a year that crush grapes with their feet while the remainder of the year I sip wine while gazing at my aging barrels or strolling through the vineyard. A lot of people are wrong.

I have THE coolest job in the world. I get to watch the wine form from bud to bottle, watch it change each year due to hardship or boon. I have the honor of becoming familiar with single vines as well as barrels, of protecting and guiding the wine through long hours of backbreaking labor and frustrating scenarios, of scrubbing until way after your fingers bleed, of going without sleep for days. I have the privilege of working with people who are attracted to this way of life and see beauty in the struggle, in the cycle, and in being some small part of creating a new life in liquid form.

Q: What is your most memorable wine or wine tasting experience?

I've had the opportunity to tour some amazing cellars, work with world-famous grapes and juice, and taste many rare and prohibitively priced wines. However, what truly sticks with me is the ways other people show their passion for wine. 

The 55-year-old intern who drove two hours each way through traffic twice a week to work for free at a winery while simultaneously working a full-time job.

The somm who smuggled an ounce of Margaux home for me in a wineglass covered in cellophane, so that she could watch me taste a 1st Growth for the first time and relive that experience with me.

The cellar rat who works five days in one winery and two in another, spending her free time on her stash of barrels for her own brand. All to prove wrong the fool who had the audacity to tell her she would never leave the tasting room.

The nomadic photographer who travels the world with only the clothes on his back, leaving behind the best images in the business and goodwill wherever he stays.

Q: What’s your all-time favorite food and wine pairing?

Chocolate raspberry ice cream with Cab Sauv poured over it, and Affogato or fried chicken and Chennin Blanc for me. Hard to beat either of those!

Q: When you’re not drinking wine, what’s your go-to beverage?

There's a running joke that "It takes a lot of beer to make good wine." While that is very true, I would let Prufrock counter that with "I've measured out my life with coffee spoons."