The Love for Wine
Unassuming Wine Bros
Two Sarasota men from very different backgrounds, but with a shared love of wine, find themselves on the beach. “We should write a wine blog,” they say. And so, the Unassuming Wine Bros is born.
Patrick Dugan and Eric “Vigo” Onstad met through their wives and their sons went to the same school. They found themselves attending the same social gatherings and quickly learned of their shared passion for wine. A friendship was forged.
Vigo’s wine journey began while he was stationed in Iraq. He would soon be joining his wife living in San Jose, California, neighboring the country’s premier wine-growing regions. She encouraged him to learn about wine and sent him books on different varietals, how to taste, glassware, and maps of the numerous wine regions. He read all of them. While on leave he visited a California winery, where he greatly impressed his wife with his newfound knowledge.
Patrick, a lawyer, husband, father, and runner, started his exploration into the wine world with New World red varietals and Sauvignon Blanc. He liked to pair food and wine and as his curiosity grew and his palate evolved, he gained an appreciation for Italian and other Old World wines.
The first post on unassumingwinebros.com went live in June 2020. The platform is meant to be an unpretentious resource to learn about and discover interesting and value-driven wines. It’s a complete labor of love; it does not produce income. Without formal training, these oenophiles are doing the best practice to gain wine expertise: They taste a lot of wine!
“We may drink more than we write!” In all seriousness, passion and strategic collaborative effort goes into each piece. “We work very hard and do hours of research.”
“Patrick has great taste,” says Vigo. He uses strategies from practicing law to evaluate wine. Wines written about in the blog usually sell for under $25, making them accessible to many. Occasionally, a higher-priced wine will be featured, but overall they find good values and keep it affordable. Their Instagram feed, @unassumingwinebros, features a broader range of bottles they may not include in the blog, but are recommended.
“We want to be a local resource and provide a fun way to learn and discover new wines.” They are committed to sharing content as long as people are enjoying it. These two are on the pulse with wine-related happenings in the local community. A recent Instagram post featured a fantastic Willamette Valley Pinot Noir found at newly opened Sarasota Wine Co. in downtown. Other favorite places to find hidden gems include Fine Wines & Tastings on Main and Michael’s Wine Cellar.
Currently, Vigo’s interest is sparked with canned wines for their mobility and as a fun way to enjoy wine at the beach. Dry Rieslings from Upstate New York and a summer classic, French Rosé, have Patrick’s attention.
When asked what their favorite wineries are, they corrected me and said it’s like picking a favorite child. Fair enough! A reader did write in about Elk Cove and Vigo had a memorable experience visiting this family-owned Oregon winery. The winery produces red, white, and rosé varietals and the Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris were especially outstanding.
“I was absolutely blown away,” says Vigo. “I didn’t expect such a soft and flavorful Pinot Noir. The Pinot Gris was crisp and cool, it made me think of summer on a beach chair.”
California Bordeaux varietals like Justin Isosceles are among Patrick’s favorites, although he adds, “There’s so much good wine, I can’t pick just one.”
Readers are encouraged to write to them on the website or direct message on Instagram. They will answer questions and are open to comments and discussion about their content.
“We want to bring everyone along in our wine venture.”
