About Jeff Ivy

Jeff, a native Texan was born in San Saba. His family moved to Round Rock where he graduated High School in 1985. He then attended the University of Texas and graduated from there in 1990 with a degree in Government. Whilst at UT he worked at Reuben’s Bottle Shop in Round Rock where he began to learn about wine. He attended wine tastings put on by the distributors and in this way experienced an even greater variety than in the store.

In 1991, whilst studying for the Foreign Service exam, but still working at Reuben’s, Jeff met the winemaker, Russell Smith from Slaughter Leftwich Winery. Smith had just moved back from California and this friendship led to Jeff working his first grape harvest. After the harvest he decided to move to Austin Wines and Spirits as, although Jeff passed his Foreign Service exam, he had decided he was leaning towards a career in the wine industry instead. His serious education then began regarding tasting and buying of wines and he stayed on this side of the industry until 1995 at a variety of venues.

He continued to take time in the summers to work the harvests, mostly at Hill Country Cellars in Cedar Park where his old friend Russell Smith also helped him make his first wine – a 1994 Chenin Blanc. Jeff was also taking some chemistry classes at ACC as he by now realized his passion was to make wine. He met Greg Graziano from Mendocino County in California when he came to Austin to sell his wines in 1995 and Jeff asked him for a job. He not only offered him an entry level position at his winery but put him up at his own home. This led to Jeff moving to oversee a crushing facility Greg also managed, and various other jobs whilst continuing to hone his skills under Greg’s tutelage.

After a short stint at a brandy distillery, Jeff went to Quivera Vineyards in Sonoma County as Cellar Manager and then in 2002 he became Assistant Winemaker at Roshambo Vineyard, also in Sonoma County. In 2003 he became their Winemaker staying until the late spring of 2006 when the vineyard was sold to new owners. He and his wife Lindsay decided to move back to Texas to raise their family and after a stint at Dry Comal Creek Jeff came to Spicewood just before Ron purchased the vineyard. Jeff says his goal is to find the grapes that are the most suited to this vineyard’s location and allow those grapes to best express what Spicewood is through the wines he makes.