Jef Stebben joined Aridus as Winemaker in July, 2024. For the last 14 years Stebben had been the winemaker at Maple Springs Vineyard in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, with wide responsibilities for winery activities beyond winemaking, from marketing to sales and vineyard management. He has over two decades of experience crafting wines of rare quality. His work has received critical acclaim from major wine publications and awards from competitions including the Governor’s Cup in Virginia and the Pennsylvania Sommelier Judgment. His goal is to consistently craft wines that compete on the world stage. He holds an undergraduate degree in Fermentation Science from UC Davis and also graduated from the OIV Wine Marketing Course at UC Davis. Before arriving at Maple Springs, he was the winemaker for five years at Martin Estate in Napa Valley and did an internship at Opus One in Oakville. He has also made wine in diverse locations including Virginia and Washington state and he has been a speaker at The Winemaker Magazine Conference, ASEV Unified Symposium and other large-scale meetings and conferences. Since 2002 he has been a consultant to a number of wineries for programs including winemaking, vineyard management, winery design, staff training and more. “I’ve always been fascinated with the American Southwest for its beauty as well as the uniqueness of its viticultural identity,” Stebben says. “I’m eager to bring my experience from other regions to bear on Aridus’ estate vineyards in the mountain desert,” he adds.