Aron Hess worked his way through college waiting tables. Serving the University President one night at a great Italian restaurant, he had the chance to taste an array of 1982 wines from around the world. The contrasts and comparisons piqued his interest. As he began to delve into the explanatory differences in climate, soil and varietal, he found a subject of seemingly endless classifications and variables. He fell in love with the complexity, intuitively realizing that wine would keep him fascinated and learning for the rest of his life.
Striving to lead a more conventional life, Aron completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Political Science at the Pennsylvania State University. His obsession with fermentation science had grown though. As a young college graduate, he lived in central Pennsylvania, and without access to high-quality wine grapes, he found an outlet in brewing beer, developing recipes that took him to the amateur national championships.
When, in 1996, he became finally dissatisfied with his first career path, Aron succumbed to his passion and left to explore the wine regions of Europe. A serendipitous encounter with the Enologist at the Kopke Port Lodge early in his travels crysalized his ambitions. In the midst of blending--surrounded in his laboratory by dozens of sample beakers--that Enologist clearly had the world's most enviable job.
Aron returned to the States in January of 1997 and immediately moved to the Willamette Valley of Oregon to make Pinot Noir. He entered the wine industry on January 20th, 1997 as a cellar rat at Flynn Winery. After learning to operate, break and repair every piece of equipment there, he joined Rex Hill Vineyards as Enologist in 1998. Aron was promoted to Assistant Winemaker under Lynn Penner-Ash in 2000, and that year also started Daedalus Cellars with Pam Walden. In 2002, he became Rex Hill's winemaker and remained there through three vintages.
In 2005, Aron left Rex Hill to become the head winemaker at 12th and Maple Wine Co., the Northwest’s largest custom crush facility. Aron designed the state-of-the-art facility to handle the fruit gently and efficiently with unparalleled control. Aron uses gravity-flow production, with oxygen-controlled environments and temperature-controlled, small-lot fermentation tanks.
Throughout his winemaking career, Aron's approach has always been consistent and uncompromising: make natural, balanced wines, using sustainably farmed vineyard sources, without intervention or manipulation. Today, he produces top-scoring wines for over 20 different labels, including his own Daedalus Cellars.
