Veteran-Owned Wineries in San Luis Obispo County
Several veterans in San Luis Obispo County found purpose in growing, harvesting and bottling grapes for wine. One winery owner and veteran reflects on his time in the service and why he hosts a fundraiser for other veterans each year in Paso Robles.
Story by Jonathan LaFerrara
Photography by Richard Fusillo
Responsible for the disarming, rendering safe and disposing of bombs, Explosive Ordnance Disposal [EOD] technicians are highly trained members serving in the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force. The 7,000 EOD technicians in the Armed Forces have a higher rate of needing assistance than service members in other areas of the military because their job is one of the most dangerous. When EOD techs are wounded, they sustain some of the most severe and often life-changing injuries: loss of limbs, burns, paralysis, blindness, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
A U.S. Navy veteran and former EOD technician himself, Winemaker Leon Tackitt supports his fellow service members by holding and hosting a Warriors Helping Warriors fundraiser at his winery Tackitt Family Vineyards east of Paso Robles. Most recently in 2023, the 12th such event, participants — many of them military veterans like Leon — flew in from states across the country for one day of bottling a special EOD Cellars wine, the sales revenue from which supports the EOD Warrior Foundation.
“We have such a struggle with young people [coming out of a career in EOD], we constantly try to find ways to help these kids transition and put on a civilian uniform. It’s not always easy,” says Leon. “Not everyone is lucky to find that if you settle on something you enjoy, are passionate about, then that is the key to success, living the life you want, not feeling like you’re trapped. We really want to help.”
The nonprofit’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those in the EOD community, providing emergency financial relief, and physical, social and emotional support. Leon serves on its Board of Directors and has led this fundraiser since 2011, when just 20 friends came out to bottle the wine. Now, over a decade later, 300 people participated and the most recent single day funds raised totaled $64,000. It’s a far cry from the first iteration, which raised $2,400.
Leon’s passion for this work stems from his own military career, which began in Navy search and rescue as a helicopter aircrewman in the anti-submarine warfare field. The assignment included diving, jumping and parachuting. He then transitioned to EOD in 1985, where he rose to the rank of Senior Chief — the backbone of the Navy. But Leon didn’t stop there. He wanted a seat at a bigger table to try to impact decisions being made, and in 1998 he was commissioned as a Limited Duty Officer. He continued to move up the ranks until achieving the status of Lieutenant Commander.
While in the Navy, Leon began making wine as a home winemaker, which has a limit of 200 gallons a year. He took his time learning the process and evaluating whether it was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. By his 10th year of winemaking, he had served 28 years in the military. It was then that he retired from the Navy and charged full steam ahead with Tackitt Family Vineyards, which he runs with his wife Cindy. For longtime friend and retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Ken Falke, Leon’s skills are as boundless as his heart.
“Leon is a one-of-a-kind guy,” says Ken, who is now Chairman of the Boulder Crest Foundation for veterans. “He can do just about anything from making wine to disarming bombs, [but] what stands out to me about Leon is his kindness. He is literally the guy who would give you the shirt off his back. [He’s] a hard worker, a great family guy, a great friend to his closest friends, a new friend to everyone he meets. And he has given back hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities that support wounded military veterans.”
After meeting Leon at a Warriors Helping Warriors 2017 fundraiser, U.S. Navy Nurse Melani Harding found a love for winemaking. She offered to assist the Tackitts at their events and began learning from Leon more about the intricacies of winemaking and viticulture. She is now the owner and winemaker of Bon Niche Cellars near Paso Robles, one of half a dozen veteran-owned wineries in San Luis Obispo County and part of a community of those who served our country.
Through Warriors Helping Warriors, Leon has blended his careers of naval officer and winemaker. “I still do things kind of the same. I still get up bloody early every day,” he says, joking that he loathes when people are late. “I’ve lightened up a lot. My wife has knocked me down a few notches since my military days, so I’ve learned to chill back a little bit on that part.”
While increased fundraising for the EOD Warrior Foundation would always be welcomed, Leon says Tackitt Family Vineyard’s footprint and production numbers are staying put. “I have no interest in being a 200-person operation. I tell everyone, once we have to get a formal HR department, I’m out. We’re 15 years into it now and we’re still here, and still having fun.”
