|
Bringing J Dusi into the public realm of the wine industry has been a life-long dream for me. I grew up living on the vineyard, participating in grape farming, and begging for my Grandfather to teach me the winemaking process. I wanted to further my education and involvement in closing the gap between farming grapes and drinking the finished product, a great wine.
My first vintage was when I was sixteen. I lined up buying a fifteen gallon barrel, a nice and clean trashcan, and some cheesecloth! My Grandfather and I spent hours daily staring at the fermenting grapes in the trashcan, as he was explaining what was happening in the bubbling must. I knew that he could guide me through the process from recollection of the days when his family ran the original “Dusi Winery” back in the 50’s. This was a good starting point for me, especially since I was only sixteen. I learned, from him, the REAL Italian way to make wine, which happened to be a light variation of today’s California styles wines.
Each harvest after 1996, I made one fifty-nine gallon barrel of Zinfandel wine. Each year brought different questions; high sugars, too much juice and different elements that made me turn to friends in the wine industry for help and support! Everyone in the community was great and extended advice and suggestions to help me along my path. I toured and stayed at UC Davis while I was in High School, thinking that I wanted to head toward an enology major….but then I toured UC Santa Barbara! I figured that there were many great winemakers out there that never majored in winemaking, but followed their heart, why couldn’t I do that? I graduated UCSB in 2002 and packed everything I owned and traveled through Australia, the South Pacific, and South East Asia. Traveling was in my blood, and I loved every second that I was in a different country and culture. My extensive traveling all over the world made me appreciate and love San Luis Obispo when I returned in 2003.
It wasn’t until 2005 that I decided to “go for it!” With the encouragement of others loving the homemade wine, and knowing that my dream was to always make my own label and travel the world selling it, I took the leap. Now I have my third vintage of J Dusi Wines available and ready to drink! Salute!
|
