For the love of Dogs

Melanie Garibay, co-founder and CEO/owner of Nectar of the Dogs Wine (NOTD) in Simi Valley, has a serious love for four-legged friends, a lifelong passion for wine drinking and a desire to bring approachable wines to market for the masses.

“At its core and since the beginning, Nectar of the Dogs Wine was inspired by the love of the rescue dogs that changed our lives, and our love of wine!” says Garibay.

The original plan, in 2015, was just to bottle some wine for personal consumption, but she and co-founder Donna Graves, who has since stepped away from the company, expanded the idea to bottle and sell a whole pallet to raise money for their favorite dog-rescue nonprofits. The wine was so well received that it seemed a natural next step to move forward with a business that included “sipping for a cause.”

Now, every bottle of wine sold gives back. Proceeds go to nonprofit rescue groups that help animals in need through a program called Heart & Paws.

Nectar of the Dogs Wine managed to keep going during the pandemic by pivoting from private wine tastings to weekly “Wine Time” episodes live on Facebook, during which they partnered with different dog rescues and talked about their causes and NOTD wines.

“It was fun and we did actually see an uptick in sales, so we were able to keep the donations going,” says Garibay.

Garibay works with boutique wineries up and down the Central Coast and throughout the Central Valley of California, seeking out small-scale operations “and bottling what we love” from small-scale producers such as Cantara Cellars in Camarillo, Alma Sol in Paso Robles and Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards in Solvang. Garibay personally tastes every single wine sample that comes through from her partners and wine producers, and proudly private-labels every bottle under Nectar of the Dogs Wine for wine club members, customers and fans of the brand.

“We currently have five wines in our portfolio,” she says. “Chardonnay, rosé of Pinot Noir, 2017 and 2019 ‘3 Dogs White’ (Viognier- based blend) and CCF MikMurphy (Cab/Cab Franc blend). I am also bottling a new Sauvignon Blanc and looking for a new rosé and Zinfandel for this year.”

While she’s not a winemaker by training (and manages a full-time job when she’s not busy bottling and selling wine), wine is Garibay’s true passion project, and she hopes to be able to pursue her love for wine full time in the not-so-distant future. In fact, there may even be a tasting room opening in Simi Valley in the next few months.

To learn more or to schedule a private tasting party, visit NectarOfTheDogsWine.com.