When I tell people I’m our general manager, I get a lot of raised eyebrows. I guess I should be flattered that people think I might not  be old enough to drink wine, let alone manage a place that makes it. (It’s true that when I first returned from Burgundy, I was still not old enough to buy Chardonnay for my risotto, but fortunately my father wasn’t keeping very close tabs on his collection at the time.)
 
Once people realize there’s no punch-line to the GM joke, the next question is always the same: “Wow . . . what’s it like to run a winery?” And even though I know it’s coming, that one always stumps me. I usually say that running around the winery is more like it.  The truth is, there are lots of hard-working people who quietly bring this place to life each day, firing up the bottling line, tasting lees and topping barrels, fixing leaks and feeding sheep, tending vines and yes, popping corks. Being GM means I get to be a part of it all, in some small way, and that’s what makes it so much fun.
 
It has also meant a pretty steep learning curve, since I don’t have a production background. When I got the job, I realized pretty quickly that having an MBA and speaking French was not going to help me even un petit peu in discussions about whether or not we needed another Waukeshaw or Guthe mixer. (Isn’t “gooth” the stuff that gets stuck to the bottom of your shoe, I asked our team?) Fortunately, they’ve been very patient with me . . . though not without a little gentle teasing. When I returned from my first winemaking class at the Santa Rosa Junior College (which, by the way, has a great, affordable program for everything from growing to making to tasting wine), I was full of questions and enthusiasm. “Don’t worry . . . ” our winemaker said with a grin, “we can still confuse her.”
 
Two years later, that’s still true – and probably always will be, so great are the complexities and mysteries of wine . . .  but that’s precisely what makes it appealing. Every day brings something new here at the winery, and with a glass of Pinot Noir as my reward, how could I not be a willing student? I hope you’ll join me for the ride!

Here's me at the SRJC pruning class in January at the Shone Farm.

One down . . . .

 

 

. . . lots more to go!