As the calendar turns to July and we prepare to celebrate our nation’s 248th birthday, our wine of the month takes on a patriotic theme by honoring a great wine made by a great American.
Major Jason Mergenov (Ret.) is the owner and winemaker of Los Alamos-based Rockets Red Wines. Jason spent 22 years in the United States Air Force and started taking classes in winemaking while still on active duty. Using the GI Bill, Jason graduated from Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California, with degrees in winemaking and grape growing. While in school, he worked part-time in tasting rooms and doing internships, learning various aspects of the wine industry.
Jason started Rockets Red Wines in 2018 to share amazing wines and highlight his time in the military while giving back to veterans and the local community. He specializes in small batch, quality rosés and reds, featuring grapes sourced from vineyards throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
In 2021, Jason’s PTSD, that he had been suppressing for 18 years, caused major depression and he hit rock bottom. In May 2022, he attended the Home Base Program Intensive Clinical program, where he received life saving and transformative therapy. Since then, Jason has dedicated his life to raising awareness for mental health and using his voice, wines, and winemaking as a platform to highlight those issues.
Jason’s Rockets Red Resilience (Grenache) is dedicated to all the veterans struggling with the invisible wounds of war, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Home Base Program. In fact, Rockets Red Wines gives back to the community every year, from veterans in need to small-town school students struggling during a pandemic.
In our just completed 2024 Under the Radar California Wine Competition, Jason won best-in-class sparkling wine for the second year in a row with his 2023 Rockets Red Fizzion Petillant Naturel, our July wine of the month. "Pet Nat"--a sparkling wine made by bottling the wine before the first fermentation is complete--is all the rage now among a newer generation of wine drinkers and gaining steam with experienced winos as well. Rockets Red Fizzion has playful, fizzy bubbles that deliver strawberry, tart apple, and cherry blossom, with a backbone of minerality. The perfect addition to your 4th of July celebration and to your summer rotation. You will love this wine.
We have been honored to have Jason and Rockets Red Wines in our Under the Radar California competitions the last two years. For his distinguished contributions to the country, to the community, and to the wine industry, his 2023 Rockets Red Fizzion is our July wine of the month.
Purchase Rockets Red Wines and follow them here:
https://rocketsredwines.co
@Rockets_Red_Wines