She and her siblings spent their childhoods with a half-acre vineyard in their backyard, and her father was a home winemaker and wine collector.
[5] By 2008, she had also worked for cabernet producers such as DR Stephens, Cornerstone, Scarecrow, Lindstrom, Husic, Calistoga, Carneros, Kelly Fleming, Hollywood & Vine,[1] and Keever Vineyards.
[5][1] The Orange County Register reported in 2019 that Welch was primarily focused on Yount Ridge Cellars, a Napa Valley vineyard near Oakville, California.
Welch, who started making wine for its owners in 2006, shared a partnership interest in the company.
[2] In 2022, the San Francisco Chronicle described her as a member "of an elite order of Napa winemaking consultants" along with Philippe Melka, Mike Smith, Andy Erickson, Aaron Pott, Julien Fayard, Jean Hoeflinger, Sam Kaplan, Tony Biagi and Heidi Barrett.