Wine Club Director Gayla Johnston has been a vital member of the Doffo team since 2011 and is now in charge of the many Doffo Wine Clubs. We caught up with Gayla to find out more about her background and her time here at Doffo Winery. We hope you enjoy getting to know her a little better, and next time you visit be sure to say hello to her!
Where are you from?
I was born in Iowa and moved to Orange County, California when I was 10. Most of my extended family still live in Iowa, so I visited every year growing up and wish I could visit more often as an adult.
When did you first become interested in wine?
My mom is very involved in the Orange County Wine Society.She got me into red wine when she taught me that Zinfandel is a great fruity introduction to wine, and is totally different than “White Zinfandel” that was so popular at the time.
Describe your first experience working in the wine industry and how you came to work at Doffo Winery.
My husband and I moved our family from San Diego to Murrieta in 2009. I didn’t even know that Temecula Wine Country existed until a friend had an event at a winery up here. In 2011 I invited my mom and some other mom-friends to go wine tasting for Mother’s Day. I was commuting to San Diego for work 3 days a week and had a 2 and a 4 year old at home. Every winery we visited that day, my mom would ask, “Do you need a bookkeeper?” Everyone said no, until we went to our last winery of the day, Doffo Winery. My mom asked Damian if he needed a bookkeeper and he responded, “You know… I think we do. Come in on Wednesday at 10:00 for an interview.” I wasn’t even prepared to be looking for a new job yet. So I printed out the résumé I had and headed in that Wednesday. I started working at Doffo 2 days a week for only a few hours just doing basic bookkeeping, then slowly added more and more hours and responsibility.
Gayla and crew at her first visit to Doffo in 2011.
I remember one of my first major tasks was processing a wine club run. I was overwhelmed, but at the same time, I LOVED IT!!! I love working with numbers and spreadsheets and data. Since I started in 2011, we have more than tripled our wine club membership and I am now in charge of 3 wine clubs and 6 wine club runs per year. I have been working at Doffo Winery full time since 2012 doing wine club, bookkeeping, payroll, human resources, assisting in marketing, and computer program administrator.
I am very proud and happy to be part of how far Doffo Winery has come in the past 8 years, and look forward to seeing where it goes in the future!
What is it like to work so closely with the Doffo family?
Prior to starting at Doffo, I had never worked at a winery and had never worked for a family run business. It’s been quite an experience. The winery has grown so much as a company over the years. When I came here, it was the Doffo Family, one tasting room employee, and me. I would be working at my desk just off the main living room of the family home, and someone would be cooking lunch. The family would come in and eat together and then go back to work. It always made me think of my grandparents’ farm. My grandma would cook lunch, grandpa would come in and eat, watch the farm report, and then go back out for afternoon chores.
When you work for a family, a passionate family, and work in their home, it is a whole different dynamic than working in an office for a big business. There is love and laughter; fights and tears; hugs and curse words. At the end of the day though, this is the hardest working family I have ever had the pleasure to know. The Doffo passion and dedication shows in the excellent wines they produce, and I couldn’t imagine working for any other winery or family.
What is your favorite part of what you do at Doffo?
My favorite thing to hear is, “Can you run the numbers on…” YES!! Let me make a report and a graph! Running the wine club though is what I really enjoy doing the most. There is so much build up to the day I “press the button.” Prior to a wine club run, I do a lot of account clean up, email prep, price calculations, scheduling, ordering supplies and then on the first of the month when I just come in and focus on processing the club and “press the button,” it is a truly satisfying moment.
Gayla preparing wine club orders for shipment.
How does the MotoDoffo Collection and wine brand play a part in what you do?
The MotoDoffo Collection has added an additional wine club. I have a personal love of the collection because I was raised riding dirt bikes in the dessert and my father was an amateur motocross racer. My mother sold Marcelo her 1968 Kawasaki that now hangs outside the MotoBarrel Room.
 Baby Gayla sits on a motorcycle for the first time. |
 The Kawasaki that Gayla’s mother sold to Marcelo. |
What is your favorite Doffo wine? What upcoming wine release are you most looking forward to?
My favorite Doffo wine is the Syrah. My palate has moved on from the fruit-bomb Zinfandel to a nice smoky Syrah, so I am looking forward to enjoying the 2016 Syrah that is part of this June wine club release. I am also a huge fan of the Paulina Sparkling. The tasting room staff knows when I’ve had a hard day, and they always offer me a glass of Paulina.
What is your favorite meal / Doffo wine combo?
Although I would drink Doffo wine with just about anything, my favorite thing to eat is pizza. After a week of work, sitting down with a great New York Style pizza, a glass of Mistura and a binge-worthy Netflix series is my kind of Friday night!
