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Theresa is the group leader for our WSU France wine region trip. Prior to working at WSU, Theresa enjoyed sweet pink wines. In 2006, she became the coordinator for the Viticulture and Enology Certificate, a role that opened the world of wine. As a certificate coordinator, Theresa became exposed to the material the students were exposed to. She went to the camps the students went to, and spent time in the vineyards just as the students. Theresa learned to prune vines and the process of winemaking.
Theresa helped develop the online portions of the courses. She mentioned that she was responsible for typing the exams the professors were giving their students. Theresa tries to see how many questions she can answer correctly. She is pleased that she is answering more questions correctly now than she was able to when she started typing exams
Theresa’s wine journey took on a different avenue in 2010. She organized an educational wine tour for wine industry people. In November 2010 there was a tour to New Zealand, followed in 2012 with a tour to Argentina. Two tours were organized for 2013, one to Italy and one to France. The tours are a great way to continue one’s wine journey. It will be interesting to see what future wine regions will be visited.
Are sweet pink wines still Theresa’s choice? Not anymore. She has developed a taste for both white and red wines. She also enjoys dry wines. Just as Theresa has experienced the journey to wine, the wines she drinks have evolved.
Frank and Teri Michiels, Eight Bells Winery
Frank’s father lived in Wisconsin. A cousin went to Hollywood, California and Frank’s father followed him a while later. Frank’s father sold his car to buy half of the bar, The Coach and Horse, his cousin was running on the Sunset Strip. It wasn’t long before Frank’s father sold his shares in the bar, and opened a liquor store next to the bar.
Almor Wine and Spirits is the oldest, continuously run liquor store in Los Angeles. Its cliental include Hollywood’s rich and famous. As a youngster, Frank was a delivery boy for Almor Wine and Spirits. As such, he met many famous people who liked high end wines. Frank took an interest in wines, that were mostly French at the time. During his early twenties, Frank had multiple opportunities to visit wineries in Napa Valley. Those visits led Frank on a wine journey, as did the time he lived in Germany. Growing up in a liquor store and travel to wine regions led Frank on a life-long wine journey. Now, Frank and Teri travel together, partners in a winery that has the unique problem of selling out of their wines.
Cheers,
Terry