Winemaker, Gaspereau Vineyards
"The story goes—and it's true!—that I wanted to become a doctor," says Gina Haverstock. It was the year 2000. Haverstock started a summer job at Jost Vineyards while studying for entrance exams. "I just fell in love with the idea of winemaking. How different grapes can make different wines," she says. "I had no idea at that time. I didn't really study for the MCATs, just studied wine." She went on to study viticulture, to train in Europe, and to return to work as the winemaker at Gaspereau.
Right now, Haverstock is reeling a little bit from Gaspereau's harvest, her ninth at the winery. "All the grapes are in," she says. "There are still things fermenting, of course. We received our last grapes on the sixth of November, so not too long ago, but everything is fermenting away."
It's a busy time of year, but this little window of time is a big deal for a winemaker. "Harvest time is definitely the most physically challenging, but it's also the most exciting. You get to make all of the product for the whole year," she says. "So despite super-long hours and hard physical work, it's the most rewarding."
