Mondays suck. Especially if you hate your job. But the day doesn’t have to be a total waste. You can now look forward to reading about ReadyMakers who have worked their way into f*&%ing awesome jobs—and maybe find a little inspiration to jumpstart your own career in the process—right here, every Monday.

 

 

Repost! We profiled Matt Dees of Jonata Wines back in September, but we're trotting him out again as a Thanksgiving-appropriate HDYGTFAJ. Because who's not thankful for a quality glass of vino on a well-laid table?

 

VITAL STATS Name: Matt Dees

Occupation: winemaker for Jonata

Location: Santa Ynez Valley, just north of Santa Barbara

Age: 30

First Job: Mowing lawns in Kansas City

Best Job: Current one

Salary During 20s: In my early 20’s when I was just starting out, I wasn’t making a lot of dough—around $20,000.

Greatest professional challenge: Trying to produce world class Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the Santa Ynez Valley is my greatest challenge, though it’s  also the most rewarding.

 

1. Hi, Matt Dees. How did you get that f*&%ing awesome job? I went the non-traditional route of learning on the job as opposed to getting a Masters degree in enology. I learned from other winemakers as I went from Kansas, where I first tried to make wine (it didn’t go very well) to Vermont where I went to college and made wine with an incredible man Ken Albert. I soon decided that California was where I needed to be, so I went to work for the Staglin Family, which is where I was until I was offered my current job. Being a Midwestern guy from Kansas, California was definitely a bit of a mystery to me.

 

2. How did you get started working in wine? I was always a plants and soil geek. I was the kid in left field who wouldn’t realize that a ball was flying over my head because I was busy picking up worms. That fascination led me into it and I became passionate about grape vines and wine during college. I was a plant and soil science major and I based on that and the fact that I had a strong back, I got the job with Ken at Shelburne Vineyard. But I definitely developed a fledgling love for plant and soil in Kansas.

 

3. What did you want to do when you were a kid? For the first 13 years of my life I wanted to play third base for the Kansas City Royals. As a teenager I wanted to be involved in forestry, which is why I went to Vermont.

 

4. What’s distinctive about Jonata? It’s located in an area known for Syrah but while we do make one—a very good one—we’re also concentrating on Cabernet Sauvingon and Cabernet Franc. These wines have a real varietal sincerity, so when you put your nose in a glass, you can tell what they are. That’s the way wine should be. The Bourdeaux varieties have not done well here historically, so we’re trying to reverse that trend. We bottle a lot of other wines as well, but we specialize in Bordeaux.

 

(photo by Sara Wert)

 

5. What’s a typical day like for you? During harvest, I start at 4 or 4:30. I like to join the crew in the pick from 4:30 to 6:30, then I head to the winery and we start to sort and process the fruit, which can take all day. We process things very slowly because we’re so quality conscious. We’re also managing all of the ferments, which can be up to 50 in this winery at one time. All of that takes until about 9:30 at night, sometimes later. At the peak of harvest, it’s a lot later. It’s a fairly sleep deprived time, but you only get to make wine once a year so you have to make the most of it.

 

6. Why do you start so dang early? That’s the coolest time of day and we like to harvest the grapes as cold as possible. It’s a bit masochist, but it does make a massive difference. It can be 100 degrees in the day and 40 at night, so that’s a huge difference.

 

7. Have you started harvesting yet? We do Sauvignon Blanc in the first week of September, then onto Sangiovese, then Merlot, Syrah, Pinot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. We’re usually done the first or second week of November. It’s a long period of time and in a normal year we’re done by Thanksgiving so we can take a breather. Our harvest is exceptionally long but we like to keep busy.

 

8. Have you had any role models along the way? The gentleman named Ken Albert, the owner and winemaker at Shelburne Vineyard in Vermont. It’s the most beautiful vineyard. He’s got it tough, making wine in Vermont. It’s a wonderful job and from the outside its romantic, but in reality it’s a lot of hard work. What you really are is a farmer and you have to embrace it. And Ken dealt with frost in Sept and having to burying the vines by hand. It’s not always fun, but he’s still doing it. And making exceptional wines. The other is Doug Wisor. I worked with him for three harvests in New Zealand at Craggy Range. He was about my age at the time and he was a complete wonder kid. In my eyes he could do anything. He taught me a lot about what it takes to be a great winemaker, like   sometimes the less you do to the wine, the better it is. He passed away in 2004 and probably had the biggest influence on my career.

 

9. What do you love about your job? What could you do without? The answer to that question is the same thing. I love getting my hands dirty, being in the vineyard and farming. I love raising grapes and then processing them into a liquid that happens to be able to reach soaring heights of beauty. That metamorphosis never gets old—it’s a pretty incredible thing. I could do without the early mornings though. I was raised a morning person, but 4:30 is tough.

 

(photo by Sara Wert)

 

10. What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you’re doing? Without question do a harvest before you make up your mind. I love it, I can’t picture myself doing anything else but it’s also important to realize what’s involved. People go to school to do this without actually experiencing it. Harvest is a three- month internship and it’s by far the best way to decide if it’s a job for you.

 

11. What’s your favorite type of wine? I’m a sucker for Barolo. The complexity of the nose, the aromatics, the velvet texture, old style Barolo is almost the perfect wine. When you find a great bottle there really is nothing better. Sorry, I’m getting all wine geeky on you. My favorite changes every few months. I’m always falling in love with new regions and their wines.

 

12. Do you ever get tired of drinking it? I will rarely pass up a bottle of wine, but I’m more than happy to drink a beer (or two) on a hot summer day.