The Venture Story
When you think of great wine, very little comes to mind beyond Connecticut, Ohio, audio engineering, medical sales, water testing labs, doctoring and passion. Or perhaps, it is just passion. How we all arrive at a particular point in life is a layer of stories and interpretations, not unlike the process of producing wine, a gift to be enjoyed with friends and family born from soils and environments that are ever-changing. Such is our Venture. With backgrounds in sales and medicine and a shared love of the exploration of food and wine, we arrived at the decision to create a future based on something for which we both shared a love. Venture Wines is a small production wine label that strives to make balanced and enjoyable wines truly representing the fruit from exquisite vineyards in the Napa and Russian River Valleys. We embrace that our grapes are a reflection of both their nature and environment and yet can be brought to new life through winemaking, all the while remaining authentic to their essence. This process is a journey year-to-year but is the truest reflection of our Venture through our own lives. If you have tasted our wines, thank you for making us part of your wine world. If you haven’t we hope that you will join us on our journey.
About Us
Scott Dilyard
After graduating from Ohio University with a degree in Audio Production I began a career in sales that started with audio and music equipment and then onto 16 years of medical device sales. During this time I developed a love of wine of all kinds. In 2011, with the support of my wife Susan, I decided to make a drastic change in career paths and get out of the sales business. Her only condition was that I chose something to do that I was extremely passionate about. I think we both knew at that time that the answer would be something wine related, but we didn’t know what. Venture Wines turned out to be the answer. I’m sure it is easy to see the logical progression: Rock ‘n Roll…knee braces….wine. Any questions?
I have lived my entire life in Ohio but on numerous trips to Northern California wine country my wife and I came to see the dedicated, extremely passionate people who work so hard to make great wines. We have heard their stories and have been inspired by them. So we’ve made the decision to join them.
Susan Joy
With an innate interest in science, it seemed natural to find my way into medicine, but not before a summer in college spent working in the lab of a water testing facility. Before that experience, water was water for the most part. After that, it was all changed. Characteristics of the measurable qualities of each sample became appreciable. Having no idea this could have lead me down a different path, I carried on my medical pursuits, always craving “good water.” Reflecting on a number of experiences and interactions as Scott and I finally agreed to jump into the creation of Venture Wines, I thought about how I had arrived to be where I was and reminisced about that particular summer job. I recall the only sip of wine I had had before that point in my life, at the age of 16. At a friend’s house to help with a small dinner party held by her parents (distracted by a pivotal John Cusack movie), I was treated to a small iota of dusty dark liquid in a very fancy glass I was afraid I would break. It happened to be a 1955 Mouton Rothschild. Yet all I recall is that it distinctly reminded me of…"tree bark." We laugh now that the subtleties of water were introduced to me through rather methodical means. Yet it took several years for me to awaken my appreciation of wine as an expression of the fruit, climate, process and the many amazing people behind the grapes.
Work transplanted me from my roots in Connecticut to Cleveland, and Scott has been the reason to stay. As we journey together through our lives, we are excited about Venture Wines. The challenges of reinventing and redirecting are certainly ever present. However, we hope you agree that the process and results are well worth it.
Joe Scarcella & Jim Pulk
Our partners in this “Venture” are our long-time friends Joe and Jim. We feel very fortunate to be able to be in business with friends who share our passion for making great wine. With varying backgrounds in medicine and business we have a great mix of people and experiences to pull from as we make the decisions that shape our wines. We are grateful that their ongoing support allows us to continue to grow our brand as we increase production, quality and distribution.