Growing up with family in Napa Valley, TJ visited often and was always surrounded by wine talk. Because of his fondness for the area, he chose Sonoma State to pursue a business degree. TJ had intentions of eventually going into hospitality, but the wine industry had other plans. During his last year at SSU, TJ worked sales in an ultra-premium winery tasting room in the Russian River Valley. Here, he became infatuated with the wine industry, particularly the art of winemaking. Wanting to “learn in the trenches,” he chose to work a harvest on the production side. Working alongside very talented winemakers gave TJ access to a wealth of daily knowledge, picking up experience sorting fruit, managing fermentations, crushing fruit, blending, and more. Next, TJ found himself traveling to the Barossa Valley in Australia to work for one of the country's largest wine producers. There he learned about different viewpoints, grew his wine network, and gained experience at a rapid rate. Upon return to the US, TJ also worked with Williamson Wines in Healdsburg, CA. With the dream of one day producing and selling his own wine, TJ’s next move was to obtain an MBA in Wine Business from his alma mater SSU. Inspired to use new knowledge, experience, and connections within the industry, TJ set out to bring high-quality wines farmed locally directly to consumers without price spikes from “middlemen.” With the help of many friends, mentors, and family, TJ has been able to go from dragging someone else's hose to dragging his own.