Jesus Aleman

"Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do," said Pelé, a Brazilian soccer legend who helped Brazil win the 1958 FIFA World Cup. 

Only 21 years old, Jesus Aleman was invited to be a professional judge alongside his boss and mentor at the 2019 California Commercial Wine Competition in Sacramento, California. “My boss referred me to the wine judges and chief judge. They were delighted to hear that I am capable of doing this at such a young age. I give a lot of credit to my boss who provided immense opportunity for me to learn about all aspects of wine. He allowed me to be in the wine lab learning and doing chemistry on the wine, and, of course, taste each new varietal and vintage.” 

Prior to the competition, Jesus did a tasting practice with Dr. Angelo Camillo, assistant professor of hospitality and wine business at Sonoma State University. 

“Jesus lives in Lodi and drives two and a half hours every week to SSU to complete his degree. He stays here three days a week and then works at Jessie’s Grove Winery in Lodi full-time. I certainly appreciate his sacrifice; he has never missed a day of class and is an excellent student,” said Dr. Camillo. 

Some days Jesus drives to Lodi around six in the morning and starts working at 8 a.m. He gets back to campus on Sunday night or Monday morning just before his classes begin. “I usually grab a cup of coffee and turn on my playlist for the long drive. I give 100% when I am at the winery and while I am at school, so I am busy seven days a week.” 

Since junior year, Jesus has been working at Jessie’s Grove Winery as an intern, learning the entire process from vineyard management to producing a finished product. On the vineyard side, he made sure the irrigation systems are setup correctly and helped with harvest. In the cellar, he helped with the winemaking and tasting to ensure quality. “I worked 15-hour days, but it was a lot of fun. I learned how to process the wine in the cellar and do barrel tastings.” 

“I came to Sonoma State University for its terrific biology program thinking I wanted to be a dentist, and then switched to wine business after my freshman year. I wanted to be in a field that was more hands-on and more involved with a product that I can see and have more connection to people. 

Jesus’ father, who is active in the wine community and has a passion for agriculture inspired Jesus to pursue a career in wine. “My dad was always working, and he taught me that, if it was easy, then anyone could do it. My dad educated me on moral and ethics of what one can get from working hard, and the consequences of going on the wrong path.” 

“I am also inspired by Dr. Liz Thach because she is one of the first women in the U.S. to earn the title of Master of Wine. The way she describes the wine is fascinating.”

Jesus aspires to be in charge of making his own wine. “I want to fail by myself to see if I can better the wine for the next time and learn from that.” He was recently promoted to wine cellar master at Jessie’s Grove Winery.