That Triathlon Life Pairs Up With Dusty Nabor Wines
Our sport has a long history with alcohol. There was the Bud Light Triathlon Series, Michelob Ultra has dabbled in and out, and of course, now there's the explosion of non-alcoholic beers (including the IRONMAN official sponsor of Athletic Brewing Company). Heck, even Emilio De Soto was in the game for a while with Dos Almas tequila.
Wine, of course, has also held its place within endurance sport. Multiple studies have shown, in particular, that red wine consumed in moderation can be beneficial to both muscular endurance and cardiac health — both things that endurance athletes would potentially crave. So consider it unsurprising that we now see one of the first collaborations between a winemaker and triathlon with That Triathlon Life and Dusty Nabor Wines.
The name behind the wine, of course, is Dusty Nabor — who is no stranger to these pages. Arguably the most interesting man in triathlon given his many pursuits and interests, we sat down with Dusty briefly to discuss his wine business, the partnership with TTL, and more. And if you'd like to buy the wine, you can do so here.
Slowtwitch: So, first, a little bit about yourself and how you came to both triathlon and winemaking.
Dusty: [from 2014] I found it [triathlon] on my own. I can’t really pinpoint the moment I put all three activities together and said, wait a minute, isn’t there a sport that does all three of these but I do know it was sometime in the beginning of 2010. I signed up for my first tri in Pasadena. A reverse tri…and I was hooked. I do remember car racing and training overlapping a bit and having to go for runs while I was at the track. I actually ran a couple times around the outside perimeter of Auto Club Speedway….lol. Now triathlon and work pretty much dominate my life. Karin, my girlfriend, and I both have a passion for the sport. We’ve got a great setup that allows for solid training and racing. Our lives are basically engineered and designed for that purpose. A lot of times my work does get in the way but right now, it’s the priority and sometimes triathlon has to take a back seat. Having said that, I think it’s as close to optimal as we can make it for someone who works full time.
[present day] Winemaking was started in 2014 out of just a love for wine. I've always been a doer, and when I didn't understand how wine was made, and I loved it so much, I decided to figure it out. That lead to making wine at home which led a year later to a commercial venture.
ST:How did you get to know Eric and Paula?
Dusty:I've known Eric for several years. When he was in Poway with Paulo Sousa training for the Olympics, I was a supporter of him, Joe Maloy, Greg Billington and Jason Pederson. Jason lives in my area and I was sorta supporting him from the beginning and then fell into the Triathlon Squad. I met Eric through that and Eric came to one of my infamous holiday parties, and we've been friends ever since.
As for Paula, I held a wine dinner in Bend Oregon one year and Eric came up with Paula from Troutdale. That's actually where they met Heather (Jackson) and Wattie (Sean Watkins) for the first time. We all just hit it off. I've been supplying them libations over the years and they've always loved it.
ST:Tell us a little more about these holiday parties.
Dusty:Haha, These became legendary in their time. I think I held these from like 2008 or 09 to like 2016 or 17….I'm not really sure. This was an all inclusive party I used to throw around the holidays that attracted people from all over the country. It was a great way to get everyone together at one time. I may bring them back in 2022. I just got too busy with the winery to plan and host it anymore. There were several hundred people at its height.
ST: So, about this wine specifically — how did it come about?
Dusty: When I saw they were doing coffee stuff, I asked them if they would like to do a wine. They jumped at the chance so we came up with a wine that they enjoyed and bottled it specifically for them. They didn't have anything really to do with the making of the wine, they just tried and few and picked the one they thought would work best. Turned out it was a pretty solid Bordeaux style blend. So it's basically the same format as their coffee collaborations.
This wine comes from Ballard Canyon in Santa Barbara County. A place that many of our top wines hail from. [Editor's Note: He's not kidding about top wines. Want to try it? Buy the Syrah when it releases. Thank me later. We put this blend together specifically for this project. We don't normally do many blends, as most of our wines are single varietal but we wanted to put something special together for this collaboration.
ST:Where do you see the wine business going over the next few years?
Dusty:My goal is really to eventually do it full time. The business itself is progressing really well. We are set to double 2020 this year and it looks like a little more growth next year until it reaches a level that is big enough to sustain me but that I can still do the work myself. There is a point of diminishing returns in wine where it becomes too big where you lose control and some of the artistry in the winemaking. I have no desire to grow it to that level. I want to keep it small and intimate.
ST:Lastly, any endurance sports plans upcoming?
Dusty: I'm signed up for Oceanside 70.3 in April which I have been deferring since the pandemic. I can no longer race in the late Summer and Fall because of harvest. I actually had to turn down Kona because of that. I would also like to go back to Steamboat, CO for SBTGravel because I wasn't able to finish the black course this year due to a mechanical. I'd like to go back a little more fit and with a better understanding of the course.
