Ashley Hausman MW, came into the wine industry in 2008 while completing her Masters in English and American Literature at New York University. She moved to Colorado in 2009, earned her CSW through the Society of Wine Educators, gained certification as a sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and then attained her Diploma from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust before completing her Master of Wine through the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW). She is one of only about fifty in the United States.

Over the years, Ashley has worked just about every facet in the trade, from retail and imports to academia and consulting. She has even gotten her hands dirty the past couple vintages, working harvest at the prestigious Domaine Dujac in Burgundy and Screaming Eagle in Napa. Most recently, she was Director of Education for GuildSomm before giving her full attention to her consulting and education business: Mistral Wine Co., which she formed in 2014. She plans to expand this business over the next year, offering a wider range of services and products both locally and globally.

Midwestern at heart, she just returned to the north country in Stillwater, MN where she can enjoy being closer to family. When she is not teaching, selling, judging, or drinking wine, she can be found reading, writing, running, rock climbing, cooking or obsessing over her dog.