Dane Campbell born and raised in Chico, California but yearned for the Southern California living. He began his journey in the wine industry in 2006 after graduating from University of California, Santa Barbara. His initial years were spent learning about local and international wines as the manager and buyer for Sterns Wharf Vintners Wine Bar, before feeling the urge to get some experience on the winemaking side.

That itch led him to Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards, where he began working in the tasting room before he was chosen to work as the lab and cellar intern for the 2008 harvest. The knowledge gained during the 2008 harvest focused him towards a role within wine education and consumer direct sales at Zaca Mesa.

Dane then buckled down and passed both the Intro and Certified Sommelier (CS) levels of the Court of Master Sommeliers as well as the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) exam through the Society of Wine Educators. From there his attention turned towards the wholesale side of the business, prompting him to leave Zaca Mesa for a hiatus as a Fine Wine Specialist with the Henry Wine Group covering Santa Barbara County. This experience gave him valuable street sales training and experience. He then brought that training back to Zaca Mesa where he now works as a supplier and wine educator for the Central Coast region of California as well as out of state.

Dane geeks out about wine and soil, when he’s not sharing his mass amount of knowledge on wine , you’ll find him at the beach riding Santa Barbara’s famous waves.