Sunday, August 11, 2013

How it All Began




I’m not sure when the passion consumed me.  The drive was so fierce; I threw away a 6-figure salary, 401K, perks and celebrity parties.  Coming out of college, I wanted nothing more than to be an actress.  I was a triple-threat; actress, singer, dancer.  That dream fell through when I realized I had to be poor and risk daily rejection.  So, I took a job in the “entertainment industry”.  No, I wasn’t a stripper or anything like that.  I took a measly job as a Secretary for a Media Research honcho at a Radio Network doing ad sales research (ratings, ratings, ratings).  We had one studio on our floor so my initial celebrity meetings started right away.  I remember Chuck Berry.  He lovingly called me “Red” since my hair was red at the time.  I also remember the very hot Lorenzo Lamos in his black leather, skin-tight pants looking delicious.  Where was I going with this?

I worked at the Radio Network for 3 years.  In the beginning I worked for the Senior Vice President of Research.  My jobs consisted mostly of answering his phone, typing his memos and letters and doing some basic research reports such as finding out what the elusive 18-24 year old male does with his spare time and how can we reach his ears with radio. 

It was during this time that OJ Simpson was on trial and everyone spent lunch breaks watching All My Children.  We had a new manager start after I had been there some time and she helped propel my career to bigger and better things.  One of the first things she said to me was “You want to get ahead?  I’ll teach you what you want to know.”  From her, I was able to move through the ranks of advertising which would ultimately let me demand a 6-figure salary before my world changed 360 degrees.

During this time I met my future husband who was my rock, my support system and encouraged me in whatever I wanted to do.  It was through him that I learned about wine.

I can’t pinpoint the day or the exact moment it happened.  I remember hating wine. My father used to make homemade wine in our kitchen.  The smell of wine fermenting over breakfast was less than appealing.  He used everything from peaches, apples, plums and any other fruit he could buy in mass quantities, except wine grapes.  My parents used to swill their homemade brew in glasses we referred to as fish bowls.  They were these enormous glasses with large, round bowls and tall skinny stems.  My father was proud of his wine and often let me taste it.  I remember the awfulness of it.  It was high in alcohol and reminded me of peroxide.  Needless to say, my early wine experiences did everything to sway me away from wine.

Over the years, I found White Zinfandel.  I think we all do unless you grow up in a more worldly, sophisticated household.  White Zinfandel was America’s favorite wine at one time (followed by Chardonnay and now Pinot Noir, thank you Sideways).  White Zinfandel was made by accident by the Sutter Home winery.  During fermentation the skins of the very red Zinfandel were separated from the batch, creating a lovely pink hue.  The wine maker cried for several days, I’m sure.  He thought he ruined an entire harvest of profits.  He did the only thing he could think of at the time.  He bottled it as a novelty and it became a hit.  The rest is history.

After White Zinfandel, I found Riesling.  What about reds?  The only reds I had ever tried up to this point was cheap, mass produced, hot, nasty tasting ones.  So, I stayed away from them thinking I wasn’t a red wine girl.

After meeting my now husband, we ventured to the Finger Lakes to taste wine along the Cayuga Lake trail.  I remember my “ah-ha” moment for reds.  We went to this one winery.  The main house was a barn and they had scheduled wine tastings where they paired bites of food to enhance the experience. The guests sat in rocking chairs as the teacher, wine maker, whoever it was, walked everyone through the tasting.  I remember the wine.  It was called Spaghetti Red and it was paired with chocolate.  I had found love.

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