‘When people heard my name, they all said, “You mean like the winery?”’

Pindar Damianos, Southold

“My dad, Dr. Herodotus Damianos, started the winery in Peconic in 1979. He was an internist with a practice in Stony Brook. I was 3, so I don’t remember when it started, but the vineyard was already rocking and rolling in the ’80s by the time I was 8 to 9, so I basically got to see it from its infancy to where it is now. We were one of the first families known to have helped start the wine industry on L.I. We’re of Greek heritage, and wine has always been an important part of our lives and my father’s life.

“He studied abroad in Italy while in medical school, and he was a terrific doctor, his [former] patients still come by the winery and say as much. I believe he felt L.I. would be good for growing and making beautiful wines. He was a visionary, and it all panned out pretty well.

“Pindar [Vineyards] is one of the first on the North Fork, as my dad thought there was absolute potential for wine-making back then, for L.I. to grow different wine grapes and create different varietals. He was incredible; he had his practice and then started the winery as well. I’m the youngest among five siblings, and we all grew up around the winery. We were born and raised in St. James. It was a 45-minute drive from home, but it was worth it, watching the wines being bottled, to see the harvest. We were immersed in the aspects of wine-making and the business, and you kind of get the bug for it.

Going to the North Fork when I was a kid, it was a completely different from Saint James.

“Back in St. James, there weren’t any other families in the wine business, and Pindar became well-known. When people heard my name, they all said, ‘You mean like the winery?’ Our wines have been a part of presidential inaugurations, and my dad was in Newsday, on TV, the whole thing. He named our first vineyard Pindar because he liked the name and thought it would work for the winery. I don’t think it was named just after me, and there’s never been hard feelings between me and my siblings over it.

“I remember being in high school in the ’90s, and that’s when my dad purchased Southampton Winery and changed it into Duck Walk. He was innovative and always trying different things. Then in 2007, we built the North Fork Duck Walk tasting room, and my family kept things growing as my dad was getting older.”

‘When I was a kid, my first job at the winery was carrying cases of wine out to people’s cars or putting wine on the shelves.’

“Going to the North Fork when I was a kid, it was a completely different from Saint James. I remember going off the LIE, and Riverhead wasn’t as built up as it is now. It was a bit of a shock then, but today I live on the North Fork. I only started living on the North Fork in 2007. I didn’t imagine I would’ve moved out here was I was younger. I thought I’d do the hour commute from St. James back and forth, but I liked the feel of it, and now it’s my home.

“I live in Southold now, and I’ve raised my son here, and I’ve gotten involved in the community. I ended up joining the Southold Fire Department, where I’m a chief now, and I really enjoy where I live, but still have roots in Saint James and Port Jeff, where my mom lives. My girlfriend lives in Smithtown.

“I’m a North Fork transplant now, putting my roots down, even though the winery’s been there 50 years. When I was a kid, my first job at the winery was carrying cases of wine out to people’s cars or putting wine on the shelves. I worked there on the weekends growing up, and it was a labor of love. I went to school in California to study viniculture, but me and my whole family have found their niche in the wine business. I always enjoyed the growing of grapes, and the farming aspects of the winery.

“As I got older, when they were bottling wine, if they needed help over the summer or when I was off from school, I’d work with the winemaker; I had school during the week. I’ve worked on the bottling line, driven tractors, done sales, worked in the vineyard. Once I turned 21 is when I could really get involved with wine and pour wine, do things like that.

Going to college, though, was important, as I was able to see the California wine industry, got a plant science degree in viticulture, and with what I learned come back and manage the vineyard for over 15 years. I always liked the farming part, growing plants. I never saw myself in a suit and tie; I always enjoyed growing vines and growing grapes, even from a young age. I still do, but since my dad passed in 2014, I have picked up his pieces, doing more of the managing and keeping a hand on all aspects of the winery.”

‘You knew if you wanted to hang out with Dad, you would jump in the car with him in the morning and head out east.’

“I was inspired by my dad’s own inspiration. When my dad passed away, I started taking on a lot of what he had been handling. I now oversee the operation as general manager.

“Also, the L.I. wine industry is 50 years old, and I’m 48, so I’m sort of like the timeline of it. I knew the original owners of the other early North Fork wineries growing up, and I see the new owners now. It’s a great honor. When I introduce myself, people still say, ‘Oh, like the winery?’ I feel like Long Island and New York State has always put its arms around the winery and supported it.

“Do I hold the winery close to my heart? Absolutely. I enjoyed my time there when I was young, as my dad would be there on a Saturday or Sunday because he still had his practice. You knew if you wanted to hang out with Dad, you would jump in the car with him in the morning and head out east. It was an opportunity to be a part of my dad’s vision and to spend time with him. We’d do some hard work, but it was nice.

“From him starting a business from nothing, with no grapes, to planting grapes, making wine and building a well-known brand, and helping to build Long Island’s wine industry, that’s amazing. Seeing him work, seeing his drive, seeing him build his dream from nothing was inspiring. He instilled in us work ethic, following our dreams, working hard for what you have, enjoying life. I try and instill that in my son, too.

“My mom, Barbara Damianos, is a part of what made me, too. She was a rock who was a nurse for many years before stopping that to help raise five kids while allowing my dad to be a visionary, running us around while he was being a doctor or at the winery. She held down the fort, and I’d say that behind every great man is a great woman. She supported my dad and needs to be acknowledged as well.

“My son helped when he was younger, carrying cases of wine at about the same age I did. He’s got a summer gig outside the winery now, but I think when he’s old enough to pour wines, he’ll come back around. We plan to keep the winery’s legacy going for the next generation.”

Interviewed by Ian J. Stark