Meet Josh Neimeyer | Sommelier & Wine Bar Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Josh Neimeyer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thoughts behind starting my own business were two fold. First, I saw several gaps in the wine industry, which I believe can be solved.

First, I had been working with small family, boutique and garagiste wineries in my personal wine business since 2015. I got a great response from my private clients whenever I would present these little known small production wines. In San Diego, we shop at farmers markets, drink micro brews and there is an increasing desire to know more about the products we consume. Again I had been working in the small production wine space for a while and thought the good people of San Diego were ready to apply the same thought process to the wines they drink.

Second, throughout my wine journey I had always felt wine was a difficult and intimidating space to break into let alone comprehend. The industry has always had a connotation of pretense attached to it, and there is an enormous amount of information to learn. Furthermore, there are some wine enthusiasts who are off putting because they talk down to people who don’t know as much as they do. Several individuals I’ve encountered over my career come to mind. I want to fix that! Whether in my personal wine business, at Vinicola Varga Wine Bar or when I’m working on the floor at Huntress Steak as a Sommelier, I take an unpretentious, personality driven and educational approach to selling wine. I try to explain wine concepts in layman’s terms and help people understand the why and the how behind what wines they like to drink. I believe, if we want to introduce people to the world of wine, let us first be educators.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets Vinicola Varga Wine Bar apart from others is our focus on small production wineries that are making some of the best juice in the world. Smaller operations are managing less product, therefore they can be hyper focused on every part of the wine making process. It’s like having 20-50 barrels of wine to make versus 1,000 to 1,500 barrels. The more barrels of wine or the bigger the vineyard, the more your focus and attention is spread out or the more people you have to hire to do the work. The fact is, no one cares more about your product than you.

Getting to this point in my career has taken years of work. Because the wine industry is so vast, I had to spend the better part of 10 years integrating myself in the wine industry as well as seeking out the education needed to have a good understanding of wine. I think it started with a curiosity and asking questions whenever I was in a tasting room or visiting a vineyard. Then, I began volunteering for harvest and crush. After that, I started studying for my Sommelier certificates. Nothing happened overnight, but when you put in the work and put yourself out there in new situations, sooner or later opportunities arise. If you are passionate about learning, people will take the time to mentor you.

What I want people to know about what I do is, no matter if you hire me for a private wine event, visit my wine bar or come to a restaurant I work at, I will always take the time to answer questions and give you the best wine experience I can.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Here are some of the places I would take friend who is visiting San Diego:

We would do brunch at Sandpiper in La Jolla. Another local Sommelier Evan Valle and the kitchen staff at Sandpiper has done an excellent job creating a fantastic wine list and menu. I would also stop at Small Goods in La Jolla to grab a sandwich for lunch.

We would take a trip down to Valle de Guadalupe in Ensenada for some wine and food.

Some dinner spots we would hit during the visit would be, Huntress, Lions Share, Mr. A’s for the views, Sun Deck at the Hotel Del Coronado, Callie and Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad.

I would also try to see a concert at the Rady’s Shell.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are three people in the wine industry I am grateful for. 1. Mike Varga – My business partner and co-owner of Vinicola Varga Wine Bar
Our wine bar was the brainchild of Mike Varga. Mike is a tremendous leader and understands how to motivate people. Mike is responsible for giving us this platform to educate and make wine friendly.
2. Wes Hagen – One of my mentors in the wine industry.
Wes was extremely gracious with his time and knowledge when I was getting started in the wine industry. Being around him and listening to his passion for educating people about wine solidified my desire to create something special around wine. Wes helped to lay the foundation for me to make my own way in the industry.
3. David Scheidt – Owner of Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars
Dave’s wines were some of the first I had ever pour when I started doing private events for my personal business. Dave worked in the financial industry prior to being a winemaker and owning his own garagiste wine brand. The financial side of wine is super important. If you don’t make money, you can’t keep your wine business alive. Dave has been integral in conveying the balance of passion and longevity in my wine industry career.

Website: www.vinicolavarga.com

Instagram: @vinicola_varga_wine_bar

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/josh-neimeyer-90865819b

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/vinicola-varga-wine-bar-san-diego