February, 2024
Teaching never seemed like something that would feel “natural” to me, although it’s become one of my favorite types of “work.” Something about watching someone’s eyes open with an “Aaahaaaaa!” moment really strikes a chord for me and makes me super giddy for them!
I started teaching about wine decades ago when I owned a small restaurant in an old Colorado mining town (yes, well that small town Telluride became quite the hot spot for jet setting skiers, so I had to anti-up my game face for students with more wine knowledge!) It was a particularly fun experience to share my favorite unknown wines with locals, our lifeblood regulars at the old Excelsior Cafe. We were located on Main St. (Colorado Ave. officially), so we did attract some outsider attention, like “Wine & Spirits” and “Wine Spectator” magazines and gradually grew those occasional classes into more monthly fun.
At one point we realized we were often too busy at the restaurant with meal service to host special events, so we decided to set up more intimate versions of food & wine paired dinners at our home on our “night off” (what’s a night off, you ask, as a fellow restaurateur?! Ha!!) It was a TINY venue on a side street with a giant bay window and an even more massive butcher block table that could fit 13 guests...snugly. We called it The Chef’s Table, and with no advanced planned menu, we selected the food & wine to serve as it was seasonally available – this was well before any of us used the term “farm to table.” A typical evening group might enjoy pairings like Lugana from Veneto with Shrimp Crostini, tropical Central Coast Chardonnay with lobster pasta, & earthy Oregon Pinot Noir with slow roasted herb chicken and root vegetables. People LOVED it, as did I! I knew I’d struck my personal chord.
Working in the wine business has held a big place in my career since my days in Telluride. The memories from those chilly days in ski country inspired me to bring back that concept 25 years later in San Diego with VINO CORSO and creating LITE Nights (Learning in a Tasting Environment), private classes, community educational events. and wherever else I can make it happen!
Whether I’ve been running restaurants, working as an importer, or decorating wedding cakes, I’ve done my best to stay at least partially on top of my own wine training – reading wine books, volunteering for Wine Festivals, pouring at SommCon, studying with the Women’s Wine Alliance, teaching my family, friends, & any of my staff who would listen, and of course TASTING new wines all the time.
The wine industry is a CONSTANTLY evolving world, nearly impossible to keep track of new rules, grapes, and regional popularity. That’s also what makes it so much fun and so fascinating!
It’s all good. Learning in a TASTING environment doesn’t get much more fun! GRAZIE for joining me… It’ll be my honor to teach you about wine!