Born into one of Australia’s oldest generational winemaking families in Rutherglen, Julie was working in a little winery in the Cotes du Rhone when she was offered a job making wine in the Barossa. She soon began to make a significant contribution to the winemaking community, including several years on the Barossa Wine Show Committee.

After running a sub regional tasting during the 2008 International Shiraz Alliance, she went on to work on the landmark Barossa Grounds Project, looking at how to define Barossa sub-regionality.

She talked to everyone from winemakers and viticulturists to historians, geologists and scientists. She dug holes, tasted wines, analysed maps and organised an annual panel tasting of over 80 wines, often with a baby on her hip!

Barossa Grounds is now an extraordinary resource for the region.

Jules is married to Cameron Ashmead. Now with 3 young boys, she is juggling motherhood with vintage winemaking at Elderton.