Herbert & Kristin Dregalla.
Herbert Dregalla, Chair of Music,
is a Red Man
After teaching students all day, what do teachers do in their spare time? What hobbies do they partake in? Meet Dr. Herbert Dregalla, Chair and Professor of Music at Wright State – he’s a red man!
Dregalla took up the hobby of winemaking about six years ago after his friend, Dr. Jim Brandeberry, a former Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, turned him on to his award-winning wine.
Dregalla says that each grape has a different flavor. Starting with more mainstream flavors such as chardonnay, Dregalla and his wife decided to try unique blends, such as Muscat, red grape valdepina, and more recently, a three-grape blend. The Dregallas make their wine using different juices from a specialty shop in Columbus and then add yeast. The carbon dioxide and alcohol mix until the sugar is gone, resulting in wine.
The process starts around September, and the wine isn’t bottled up until June. Dregalla admits that patience is a virtue in making wine: “If you want a really good bottle, you must let it sit for a year.” The Dregallas make thirty-five gallons each year, or about fourteen cases, and usually give away bottles to their dinner guests or as Christmas gifts. Unlike Dr. Brandeberry who sells his wine commercially, the Dregallas plan to keep their wine making as an enjoyable hobby.