Friends Remember North Fork Winery Owner Jason Damianos; Services Begin Thursday

NORTH FORK, NY — Hearts are heavy on the North Fork this week as friends and colleagues prepare to say farewell to a well-known member of the wine community who died in a car crash last Friday.

Funeral services for Jason Damianos, 49, of Mattituck, owner of Jason's Vineyard in Jamesport, will begin Thursday; the family will receive friends on Thursday and Friday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Homes, Inc., located at 13805 Main Road in Mattituck.

Prayers services will take place Thursday at 8 p.m. with Pastor Keith Benson officiating.

Firematic services will be held on Friday at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Liturgy of Christian Burial, which is slated for Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Louis de Montfort R.C. Church in Sound Beach, with Rev. Francis Pizzarelli, S.M.M. officiating.

Interment will take place at Seaview Cemetery in Mt. Sinai.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Mattituck Fire Department, Hope House Ministries or Peconic Bay Medical Center would be appreciated.

Damianos was continuing his family's rich legacy in the North Fork wine business; his father, the late Dr. Herodotus “Dan” Damianos, founded Pindar Vineyards in Peconic in the early 1980s.

Damianos graduated with a BS/BA in Business Administration from the University of Hartford and obtained a second degree, a Bachelor of Science in Enology, or fermentation science, from Fresno State University, according to the Jason's Vineyard website.

He traveled to France to study in the Diplôme National d’Oenologue program at the University of Bordeaux and worked in the Médoc, the Graves, Premierès Côtes de Bordeaux, and in the legendary Loupiac and Cadillac areas.

The opportunity, the site says, "gave him the knowledge and the experience to return to Long Island in 1996 and plant Jason’s Vineyard and head winemaking at the family’s vineyards on the East End."

Damianos also served as an emergency medical technician with the Mattituck Fire Department.

He was the beloved son of Barbara and the late Dr. Herodotus Damianos, who passed away in 2014, the caring brother of Alexander Damianos, Alethea Damianos Conroy, Eurydice Damianos and Pindar Damianos, and a cherished uncle to Phaedra Damianos Conroy, Iliana Damianos Conroy, Evan Damianos, Andrew Damianos and Adelyn Damianos, his obituary said.

He is also survived by his fiancé Andrea Park and her children Daniel, Nicholas and Katie.

This week, members of the community remembered a man who left lifetime memories among those who loved him and respected his work.

"Jason was charismatic and passionate about life and wine on the East End. He will be missed by our wine community and it is a shame to have lost him at such a young age," said Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez, of Martha Clara Vineyards.

Damianos, added Roman Roth of Wolffer Estate, "was a passionate and dedicated winemaker and vineyard owner. He always was generous and he loved the Long Island wine region. His passing is a sad loss for all of us."

Ali Tuthill, executive director of the Long Island Wine Council, agreed: "Jason was a beloved member of this community and his passing was a huge loss for the East End and our industry."

Others remembered a dear friend, gone too soon.

"I met Jason Damianos over 20 years ago when we took our first EMT class together," said Albie de Kerillis of East Marion. "We became friends instantly, sharing tours of our firehouse, alternating every weekend for several years. When we met again at our refresher course we realized after all this time his last three number on his EMS certification number was 318, and mine was 319. We shared many laughs. He was a first class gentleman and I will miss him so."

On Tuesday, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell paid respect to Damianos at the town board work session, saying Damianos' death was a "huge loss to the wine industry."

In an earlier email, Russell said, "Jason's passing was shocking to me. He was a real gentleman, deeply committed to his friends, family and community. I am sad for his family, who I know quite well. This is a big loss to the community."

Photo courtesy of Ali Tuthill, Long Island Wine Council.