M. Timothy Slater
Directeur Plénipotentiaire
A former scientist, engineer and prolific Silicon Valley inventor, Tim went into semi-retirement in 2001 and took up winemaking and winegrowing at Sarah’s Vineyard, on scenic Hecker Pass a few miles west of Gilroy, CA. Tim started ASF with the vision of an open space startup winery incubator, where a small group of talented winemakers could share expensive winemaking space and equipment, changing the paradigm of small, cramped, isolated garages that are the traditional home of suffering winemakers first starting out on their own. He has decades of familiarity with industrial manufacturing along with 25 years of hands-on experience in the winery and vineyard.

Tim Li
Winemaker
Tim was born and raised in the Bay Area. Shortly after enrolling at UC Davis as an Economics major, his expectations on what he was going to do after university completely changed after taking an introductory class in winemaking. His passion for the art and science behind winemaking grew as he earned a B.S. in Viticulture and Enology. After graduating, he cut his teeth in the industry by working at various wineries in New Zealand, Australia, and the Napa Valley. In 2018, he was given opportunities to be an Assistant Winemaker by working alongside renowned winemaker Christian Rougenant, as well as running a custom crush winery. Tim has been the Head Winemaker at ASF since its inception in 2021, overseeing all aspects of winemaking and operations.

Ruby Woodfin
Enologist
Ruby Woodfin was born in North Carolina and raised in Upstate New York. She studied ceramics at her local college while she started her harvest internship at ASF in 2021. After spending a year working in the cellar she decided to leave the art world to enter winemaking as a career. She’s spent time working in the vineyards, several tasting rooms, and has now assumed the title of enologist here at ASF.  You can find her in the cellar or checking on her gardens at ASF.

M. Savant Fou
Directeur Scientifique des Boissons
Our director of beverage science Monsieur Fou invests significant amounts of his time with intimate research into wines. A truly self-made madman, le scientifique M. Fou was literally conceived as a test tube, spent his formative years in the wine cellar as a small carboy, and has matured into the stately full-fledged demijohn we know him as today. His deeply scientific explorations generally contain a high degree of proof, as evidenced by his explosive temperament and fiery commentary. An international team of marketing experts spent grueling months crafting his image to adequately reflect the wide variety of personalities incorporated into his unique workshop, le Atelier des Savants Fous (The Mad Scientists Workshop).