Legal cases would have made more sense.
"I was on the debate team," said Brandt, 37. "Everyone expected me to be a lawyer."
But Brandt, along with his wife, Tracey, are up-and-coming California winemakers. This year, their winery, quirkily named A Donkey and Goat, produced 1,600 cases of wine including a syrah, a syrah blend, a chardonnay and a rosé. It's their fourth release.
While mostly sold in California, New York and Japan, A Donkey and Goat will make its Utah debut on May 21 during a special chef's dinner at Lugano, 3364 S. 2300 East, Salt Lake City.
To oenophiles, the winemaker title sounds glamorous. But A Donkey and Goat is a small operation. Jared still works for an Internet service company to pay the bills while the business gets off the ground.
The couple - along with family and friends - do all the work from crushing grapes to bottling.
"It's very much a family operation," said Brandt, during a recent telephone interview from the winery, located in a warehouse in Berkeley. "It's my wife and myself. My parents and our friends come and help us during harvest."
The only thing Jared and Tracey don't do is grow the grapes. They contract with several vineyards throughout northern California, including some in Medicino County, Monterey County and the Sierra Foothills.
It was the Brandt's attention to detail - and their local connection - that impressed Greg Neville, chef/owner of Lugano.
"They are approaching their wines with a lot of intelligence and skill," said Neville. "Don't let their name or the fact that they are in a little warehouse in Berkeley throw you off. Their wines are exciting, food-friendly wines."
Brandt said his parents, who still live in Salt Lake City, are partly responsible for his career choice.
"My mom is a good cook and both my parents like to garden," he said. "Early on they helped me appreciate good food and I think on some level that let me in this direction."
After graduating from East High School, Brandt attended Emory University in Atlanta, earning a political science degree. He moved to California, ultimately working as a top executive for several Internet startups.
But when the dot.com industry began to crash - and Brandt was the one handing out the pink slips - he decided he needed a change. He sent letters to various vintners in France - where he and Tracey had vacationed several times - hoping to work at a winery. Eric Texier, in the famed Rhone region, offered him an yearlong internship where he honed his skills.
It was there that Jared - and later Tracey - adopted some of the natural farming and green practices they follow today.
It's also where they got the idea for their business name.
Donkeys have been used for organic weed control for centuries. But these hard-working animals get a bit cranky at the end of the day. Having a goat to keep them company mellows their disposition.
The pairing also represents Jared and Tracey's partnership and easy-going attitude about wine.
"Sometimes my wife is the one who is working hard and I'm the goat," he said. "Sometimes its the reverse."
No one would expect that, either.
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* KATHY STEPHENSON can be contacted at kathys@ sltrib.com or 801-257-8612. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
A Donkey and Goat at Lugano
* JARED AND TRACEY BRANDT , winemakers for California's A Donkey and Goat winery, will debut their wines in Utah on May 21 during a special chef's dinner at Lugano, 3364 S. 2300 East, Salt Lake City.
* THE DINNER begins at 6:30 p.m. and costs $55 per person. Optional wine pairings are $39. Call 801-412-9994 to make a reservation.
* INFORMATION about the winery and its products is available at The Web site: www.adonkeyandgoat.com
A Donkey and Goat 2008 releases:
* 2006 THREE THIRTEEN: a blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache - three of the thirteen grape varieties permitted in France's famed Rh ne region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The wine has strawberry and summer fruit flavors and a hit of gaminess. Pairs best with venison.
* 2006 "THE RECLUSE," SYRAH named because Brandt was bit by a brown recluse spider during a pre-harvest vineyard visit, requiring emergency surgery. Dark fruit and peppery flavors. Warms you up on a cold night.
*2006 BROSSEAU VINEYARD CHARDONNAY: Chablis-like with minerals, marzipan and grapefruit flavors.
* 2007 ISABEL'S CUVEE GRENACHE ROS: a pink wine, named after Brandt's young daughter. Perfect for spring and summer sipping.
