Honored Alumni

Dennis is passionate about the industry and the program that he’s helped build. His son Kyle, driven by his passion for wine, graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in Fruit Science in 2005 and his son Tully graduated from the then-newly created Wine and Viticulture program in 2009. 

 Dennis, a partner in Vintage Supply Partners, has been affiliated with the wine business for 37 years. Beginning his career as a product specialist developing technology for use in vineyards, he quickly developed relationships with several key industry leaders, leading to a career in fine wine sales. He began his journey through the world of wine at Kenwood Vineyards as national sales manager, and served in the same capacity at Heck Estates, Kunde Estate Winery & Vineyards, and Lambert Bridge Winery. In 2005, Dennis became a partner in Plata Wine Partners, focusing on producing wines for private label programs across the country. Dennis retired from Plata Wine Partners in 2017 and began a consulting business for those involved in the wine industry. In late 2019, Dennis joined a few of his previous partners to launch Vintage Supply Partners, producing wines for large retail private label programs.