Wilkes Women in Wine - Hailey Klepcyk of Piccione Vineyards

Women in Wine: Hailey Klepcyk
by: Jennifer Primrose and Dathan Kazsuk

It all started with a phone call, a leap of faith and the desire to be part of a story for Piccione Vineyards' Hailey Klepcyk that led her to become the tasting room manager at this Swan Creek Italian-inspired vineyard.

As each wine tells its own story, Klepcyk prides herself in being an integral piece of Piccione’s story. Upon receiving the position of tasting room manager, Klepcyk declares, “I was going to sink my heart and soul into making this place successful and a place where people wanted to be. I could be a part of the story.” And so, her wine journey and Piccione Vineyards was born.

A native of North Carolina, Klepcyk first discovered her love of wine while studying abroad in Italy in 2006 as a student at Elon University. While in Italy, she became fascinated with the Old-World culture and history of Italy, including the integral part wine plays within the Italian culture. Upon returning to the U.S., her mother encouraged her to start visiting the local wineries of North Carolina by starting an annual birthday trip where they ventured out to discover wineries in the western part of the state. As she discovered North Carolina wine country, her love of vineyards and wineries became stronger. “There is a calmness and a romanticism that comes from walking through a vineyard” she says.

With a degree in business management and photography, she began photographing the different vineyards while meeting some of the owners and learning the stories behind the wineries. As her fascination with wine grew, Klepcyk began waiting tables while in college at higher end restaurants where having adequate wine knowledge was a requirement. With the help of family and friends, she was mentored in tasting and gaining knowledge about wines from around the world. She eventually began working as a rep for a wholesale company, exposing her to wine from many different places and learning the stories behind each one. This inspiration is what led her to working in a vineyard one day. A place where she could be a part of the story. She began by landing a position at a vineyard in North Carolina where she gained experience working in the tasting room. After two years, Klepcyk was ready to spread her wings.

One day, she received a random phone call from a doctor in Chicago. He said, “I know this may sound awkward and out of the blue, but I was told I needed to talk to you.” That doctor was Dr. William Piccione and he was just a few short months away from opening his tasting room. Dr. Piccione had received a recommendation that Klepcyk would be a good candidate for the vineyard.  They both took a leap of faith having never formally met. “I drove up to the tasting room for an interview and took one look at the view and how gorgeous the vineyard was, and I knew I was hooked” says Klepcyk.

As tasting room manager for a small vineyard, Klepcyk wears many hats. “The reason I love Piccione and my position there so much, is because I have been able to have my hand in many different aspects of the business, and not just the tasting room.”  She is responsible for the day to day operations of the tasting room, but also for planning events throughout the year. In addition, she is very hands on with the winery and Piccione has entrusted her to sit down with the winemaker and make decisions about the wine based on building the Piccione brand, its reputation and making wine their customers will love. Klepcyk takes pride in working with Piccione on the brand and have found a couple of wines she calls her babies, such as the Riserva that she says she “accidentally” discovered and the Rosato that she takes a lot of pride in.

Everything is grown on-site allowing her to know the vineyard over the years as well as the varietals that are grown and what to expect out of them. Being so involved has allowed her to learn the consistencies in the wine that come from its soil, the weather, and the winemaking style.

When it comes to women in wine, Klepcyk says that being a female in this industry is just like she would imagine it to be in most other industries. Women may be more emotional than the men, but that also brings a different perspective. It provides a great balance, just like a great wine. “I tend to look at functionality and am creative – and my male counterparts are great at execution and making my ideas a reality.” She says women winemakers are very detail oriented and very thoughtful when it comes to making decisions when it comes to wine. When asked one piece of advice she would give to a woman looking to get into the industry, she says to just do it. “There are so many different roles available to women in this industry. You can be a winemaker, a tasting room manager, a vineyard manager. It’s limitless. Being a woman does not and should not limit you in this industry.”

While not in the tasting room, Klepcyk also serves as the vice president of the North Carolina Winegrowers Association. She was elected in 2019 after encouragement from Mark Friszolowski of Childress Vineyards to run for the board. “I was excited and nervous, but soon found it to be such a rewarding experience and such an asset to learn from people who had been in this industry and fighting for it for much longer than I had. It lit a fire under me to try to make our industry successful for anyone and everyone who wanted to be a part of it.” 

Since then, she has also been elected to the Wilkesboro Tourism Development Authority and works with others to increase tourism to the area and enhance the experience for those visiting. “Wilkes County is sometimes like a hidden gem and once people experience it, they can’t wait to come back and experience more.”