Jason Centanni

Coming Up

Winemaking at Jason Centanni’s level starts with training, but it relies on repetition. At the University of Houston, Centanni built the technical base that still underpins his work: precision, patience, and respect for the process. Those habits remain visible in the cellar, even as the work has become more intuitive and expressive. At Llano Estacado Winery, the winemaker role sits inside the long, exact work of turning grapes into wine.

Where They Are Now

Since 2015, Centanni has held the winemaker role at Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock, where the work moves between measurement and judgment. His description of winemaking as a balance of art and science is less slogan than working method. The job calls for rigor, but it also asks for sensory attention, for reading subtle shifts, trusting experience, and refining decisions year after year. At Llano Estacado Winery, that balance shapes the work itself. Every stage demands attention, but the process also leaves room for the details that give wine its life in the glass. Jason Centanni’s career reads as accumulation rather than reinvention: small lessons, repeated effort, and a craft deepened over time.

Signature

Jason's signature dishes include Viviano.

In Their Words “Besides being a waiter/bartender in college, I’ve spent my whole professional career learning and improving my winemaking craft.” That line tracks the continuity in Centanni’s work, from hospitality during college to a professional life centered on winemaking. It describes a discipline built through study and repetition, with improvement treated as part of the job rather than a separate goal. The emphasis is on steady practice and incremental progress. “I can't think of doing anything else, but if I had to choose another career it would be a winegrower.” The answer keeps the focus on grapes, seasonality, and the growing side of wine. Even when naming another path, Centanni returns to the same field of work. It is a direct expression of how closely the vineyard and cellar are linked in his understanding of the craft.