Pearland resident Jimmy Aranda has commuted to his Dionisio Winery in downtown Houston for years. He built the Dionisio label up over the years by self-education, trial and error. The one thing he has always wanted to do is to move the winery to Pearland.

It looks like Aranda will get his wish with his new winery slated to open in February at 2635 Miller Ranch Road #103 in Pearland.

Coming from a family without much and raised by a single mother, Aranda swore he would provide a better life for himself and his family. His mother taught him to work hard for what he has, and to do everything with integrity and for the betterment of the family.

Aranda worked for AT&T for 13 years, working 16 hours a day, sometimes seven days a week. He realized he was missing out on his children’s childhood and started looking to start his own business.

Aranda’s wife, Clarice, was the muse for winemaking. Aranda quit his corporate job in 2011 to start making wine, which he had no experience with. Four years later, he can barely keep up with the demand.

“The first few batches were bad. I couldn’t get my friends to come back and try it,” Aranda said. “Then, they started coming back. Eventually, they wanted to buy bottles of it for their special events. That’s when I knew I was onto something good.”

Aranda premiered his Dionisio wines at the H-E-B Plus store at 2805 Business Center Dr. in Pearland in December of 2014. He even created a special pear wine for the event.

The Dionisio label offers Pear and Simple, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Green Apple Riesling, Peach Chardonnay, Cranberry Malbec, Pomegranate Zinfandel, Strawberry White Merlot and Black Cherry Pinot Noir.

Aranda’s wine has earned one silver medal and two bronze medals from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and one bronze medal from the San Antonio Stock and Rodeo. Aranda is also a member of Go Texan and part of the Texas Grape Growers Association of Texas.

Dionisio Winery was named in honor of Aranda’s late grandfather, Dionisio Aranda.

Aranda spent his childhood summers and holidays in Mexico with his grandfather until his parents divorced. As an adult, he returned to Mexico to spend quality time with his grandfather until he passed in 2010. Aranda’s grandfather played a significant role in teaching Aranda about taking care of his family no matter what the cost. Aranda says that his success is a direct result of the man his grandfather taught him to be.

Aranda is planning a Grand Opening for Dionisio Winery in February, debuting the production area, tasting room, VIP room for parties and corporate meetings and winery tours. Both bottles and glasses of Dionisio wine will be available for purchase.

“I’m so excited to be moving the winery to Pearland. I think it will bring something unique to the community and help make Pearland a destination city,” Aranda said.

For more information about Dionisio Winery, visit DionisioWinery.com.

Source:  The Pearland Journal