Judy Phelps

Owner/Founding Winemaker/Adventurer

How to fire up Judy’s spirit? Tell her it can’t be done.

Wine grapes at Lake Chelan? She was told by experts “no way”. But after traveling extensively in nearby British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley-where grape growing and wine drinking have excelled and thrived - she believed it could be done. And be done well…

Judy learned winemaking at UC Davis and with a Master of Science degree in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Connecticut and having retired from her corporate career in research and development at Pfizer, Inc. she was ready for this challenge.

As founder and owner, Judy manages the operations at Hard Row to Hoe including overseeing winemaking, marketing, sales and tasting rooms. She has served as President of the Lake Chelan Wine Alliance and board member of the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to her work at Hard Row, Judy is an active member of the community and supports local charity events and environmental stewardship efforts. She’s the co-founder of the Lake Chelan Swim Foundation which promotes water safety and raises funds to provide free swim lessons to kids in the Valley.

Don Phelps

Owner/Vineyard Manager/Environmental Champion

Since our beginning in 2005, Don has been a champion of the Lake Chelan Valley grape growing initiative, showing innovation and courage at every step of the process. Passionate about the land and the Lake Chelan watershed, he was the first to implement organic grape growing in the valley — a devotion that continues today. 

Knowing that whatever chemical was put on the soil would eventually end up in the lake, he decided early on to serve as an environmental steward, rejecting all chemical use in farming. This effort resulted in Hard Row to Hoe earning the first LIVE and Salmon-Safe vineyard certifications in north-central Washington. He is a  pioneer and experiments with ‘alternative’ grape varietals here like Cabernet Franc, Semillon, a new Pinot Noir Mariafeld clone, and Alicante Bouschet.

He has a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Washington State University, specializing in water resources. Don is a past board member of the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Lake Chelan Wine Alliance.

You’ll find Don most days in the vineyard taking care of everything that happens on them. Our wine is so exceptionally good because of the card that goes into the vineyard.

Julian Shaver

Managing Partner, Head Winemaker

Julian’s passion for winemaking is evident from the excellent results you find in the bottle. He is the key to why our wines are so delicious.

Julian studied Computer Science at the University of Washington, but decided in his senior year that the field was not for him. He landed a job as a cellar hand with Chris Gorman in Woodinville, and has gone on to work harvests with Molly Dooker Wines in Australia and Waiheke Island Wines in New Zealand. 

He brings his skills and talent to Hard Row to Hoe, where he became managing partner in January 2024 and manages the operations of the winery and tasting rooms.

His attention to detail and excellence with all things in the cellar are characteristics that constantly contribute to the quality of the wine.

Julian is an avid fly fisherman and likes to cook, especially barbecued and smoked meats.

Clint Hepper

Winemaker

Clint obtained a degree in Viticulture and Enology from Washington State University. He interned with Hard Row in the vineyard while attending school, and shortly after graduating got hired on as part of our cellar team. He has gone on to do vintages with Matua Wines in New Zealand and Lange Estate Winery in Oregon. Clint was promoted to Winemaker at Hard Row in 2021.

Clint is very driven at getting things done and takes pride in hard work. He is the reason why the winery operates so smoothly and why the customer experience at Hard Row is so extraordinary! He enjoys the outdoors in his free time, especially hiking, snowboarding and spending time with his family.

Clint is passionate about the Chelan Valley AVA. He sees it as a unique wine-growing region and is committed to making exceptional wines from Lake Chelan, as is evidence by the quality you find in the bottle.

Jasmine Shattuck

Lake Chelan Tasting Room Manager

Jasmine has been in the wine industry since 2016 when she moved to Chelan after graduating from Washington State University. She grew up on Bainbridge Island where she would spend her summers coming to Chelan with her family. In 2012 she knew that Chelan was going to be her forever home and that's when she started working towards a career in the wine industry.

She received her BA in Marketing & a minor in Hospitality Business Management in 2016, her Viticulture degree from WSU in 2018 and her WSET 1 in 2020. She loves sharing her knowledge with others from vine to wine!

Some of her favorite varieties are: Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and Viognier.

Dan Fagan

Leavenworth Tasting Room Manager

Dan was born and has lived in Washington State his entire life. He grew up in a restaurant and worked in them until 1999 when he bought his own, “The Pizza Place”, in North Bend. He got into the Wine business in 2009 thanks to his mother in law, Debi. He has also worked at Fine Wine & Cigars in Redmond until 2011, then moved to the Wenatchee Valley

Dan has worked in tasting rooms since 2012 in Leavenworth and the surrounding area. He likes to hike, bike, fish, travel, garden, and loves wine

He has been with his soul mate, Harmony, since 2006 and live with their 2 dogs Leroy (15 years young), and Ozzy (7 years)