There’s a new local flavor in town. You don’t have to leave your home to try it. Comes in many varieties and styles. And it involves wine, of course.
Lisa Madison is a beautiful blond. I wished she wasn’t. When I met her at Lee’s Wine Bistro last week to discuss her wine knowledge, interests and new home wine tastings I found her encircled by…people that weren’t me.
I had an appointment. I had an interview to conduct. I was supposed to find out what Wine U Up, the name for her Wine Shop at home business, was all about. Luckily for me the swarm of patient followers wanted to hear what she was all about too.
“I love wine. And not all wine. But I’ve given, and been to, a lot of tastings and this format is closest to vineyard wine tasting – except that it allows for more. I know a good wine when I have it whether it was in Napa, Santa Ynez, Paso Robles, France or Italy and now with these wines,” Lisa began.
“As a professional interior designer with formal training in design and art history, I bring a different level of sophistication to the table as your personal wine consultant. I like to entertain, have people over, and love event design,so this was a natural progression for me. The opportunity allows for flexibility and, meeting new people. (She was far more gracious to her hovering fans than I was…) I thought it would be a fun “night” job and be a good compliment to my design career.”
“First you set a date, then invite 10-15 friends to your home, provide glasses and appetizers and I do the rest,” she continued. “For $59 I bring 6 bottles of wine to sample – all limited production artisan wines made by our own winery with grapes from the best crops up and down California and the around the world .”
“People taste, order what they want and can even purchase wine glasses, join our wine club, order wines with custom labels, purchase artisan decanters, yummy looking baskets, gift boxes …all the things they may need. Some people really get into it, and I can recruit those to do it for themselves. I took a certified Wine Spectator course but you don’t have to, I just wanted to know as much as I could when I got started. Most of my training is from wine bars and tasting rooms.”
I looked forward to seeing Lisa, in her own home with her own guests, the following week for a follow-up interview and, of course, to taste her wines for myself.
