Today’s spotlight is on Ed Baysek of Hog Dog Winery.
This year is my fourth at the Bellevue Farmers Market.
Hog Dog is named in honor of my favorite canine buddy, who is no longer with us. Hog Dog was a dog we rescued, and she was originally named “Tinkerbelle” by my daughter. Considering she was 1/2 Siberian Husky, 1/2 Yellow Lab, and 1/2 German Shepard (yes, I know that’s three halves; I’m an accountant), she soon outgrew the name Tinkerbelle. One Black Friday morning, we woke up to find that she had consumed three packages of buns and didn’t miss a morsel.
She was also pretty bright, at least smarter than me. She had me very well-trained – if I went outside, she would stand at the door, and when I came back in, she would get a biscuit. I worked out of the house for the last 3 or 4 years of her life. She followed me everywhere.
My story is much simpler. I’ve been making wine for 40 years. I still make wine in 6-gallon batches. I get juice from California, Chile, and the Lake Erie region. My specialty is Fruit Wine, though I do make traditional grape wine. My two favorite wines are Banana and Tomato, which are not available elsewhere in Pittsburgh, to my knowledge.
Visit Hog Dog on Facebook.