Who: Bret Urness, 25 years old
Roots: Originally from Idaho, Urness worked at a winery in high school, where he mostly set up weddings. “I really liked the whole thing even though I wasn’t into wine,” he said, noting that the winery made cab, merlot, and syrah but did best at riesling. “I liked physically working with the product. I liked the way it smelled. I thought it was cool — but I was 17.”
Heading west: In 2009, Urness followed a friend to Santa Barbara City College, where he played on the football team.