WineSpirit Tastes of the Times

The following insights were shared at the Second WineSpirit Spring Seminar led by Steven Russon at Silver Oak Cellars on April 6, 2006

Karen:

 “As for many people, September 11, 2001 was a wake-up call for me, when I lost a friend in New York. 

We both promised each other that we would follow our life dream.  One way or another, we would.  So it was incumbent on me to do it for both of us.  My dream was to go to culinary school.  It had been since I was age 15. 

So I told my team in the tech company that I was going to chase my dream and leave the company and leave the career.  The one thing that was telling to me, that I was doing the right thing, was that one of the guys working for me said, "I wish I had a dream to chase."  So that meant to me that there wasn't anything passionate in his heart that he could follow.

And I have always been raised to do the best you can do, no matter where you go and what you do: whether being the best garbage collector, the best chef, or the best president of the company, and to have fun doing it, because life is too short not to. 

So I took that and went to culinary school, and my wine instructor, who was a wine critic for a regional publication, said, "you have to be in this industry; you just have too much fun about you not to be with your enthusiasm." 

So I have been with Stags Leap just over a year managing the hospitality program and having the absolute pleasure and honor of having touched so many people who visited here.  Some of them said, "you know, we never thought we could be more enthusiastic about wine until this visit," and to me that was so joyful.  It was such a pleasure, and I realized how fun it was to pass passion along to people.  And now I am studying to pass the master sommelier course because of my passion. 

When I heard about WineSpirit, I thought this is a group of kindred spirits, and so I am here.

In hospitality, people have always asked me, "well, Karen, you taste wine all the time.  What is your favorite wine?"  My answer, and this is what I truly believe, is that my favorite wine is the one that creates the best memories and experiences with the people with whom I am sharing it.  It could be that the most expensive in a bad situation does not leave a good memory, and an inexpensive bottle, in a stellar situation, with great people, provides a great experience and just such a wonderful memory, and that is what a great wine is!"

Randy: