A Slingshot to Passion

If you haven't had a Tinhorn Creek Wine you have been missing out. Winemaker for Tinhorn Creek, Sandra Oldfield, talks to us about how she found her passion.

Following My Passion
Sandra Oldfield
www.sandraoldfield.com

Sandra and her sdopted daughter Melody 2005

I was not raised with wine in the house. My father was not a winemaker. There were not 7 generations stretching back to the “the old country” that handed their knowledge down to me. I never worked the land or grew up on a farm.

I backed into the wine industry as a diversion from a relationship gone bad.

If you go to work at a winery and find yourself staying later than you’re scheduled for, not taking lunch breaks, absorbing every tidbit of information you can glean--you may have to recognize you’ve found a career that is right for you. Even if you already have a degree in business. Even if you’ve never taken a college science class in your life. Even if your parents think you’re whacked. Even if you are on the rebound.

My passion for wine was carved out by myself. It was not handed to me. It led me to 2 ½ years of Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, and Biology classes in between working one full time job and one part time job in the wine industry. It led me to the Master’s Program at the University of California Davis. Once there, it opened up a world of learning that I could take to any level of my choosing—and I sucked the marrow out my two years in the program. I learned that a little bit of knowledge leads to a universe of knowledge yet unknown. I was treated as an equal by professors who I had only read about and admired for their lifetime’s work. Idolized. I also learned what it was like to attend a real college party—two or three times a week!

My passion for wine led me to my husband.

A Canadian studying viticulture at Davis, starting a new venture in some place called the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. It pulled me North. Away from my home and my family and the only life I had ever known. Away from my colleagues in the wine industry and away from my mentors and classmates. Away from my support network.

My passion for wine was now intertwined with a new life where I was once again very much on my own. Working through what would work and what would not work based on trial and error. Learning the rhythms of nature and seasons and weather. Walking row after row in our 130 acres of estate grapes to get a sense of place. Learning not only how to be managed but how to manage others. Employee after employee, consumer after consumer, and friend after friend, I began to build a new house of support. A new network of interactions. Not a home I had been given but one I had built myself.

A rebound that turned out to be a slingshot to a new life.

Posted by Passaggio Wines

Walking the Vine With Liz

I love Liz's products and her story about her pilgramage to the place she wanted to be. Liz Healy-Kay explains her passion and inspiration for I Walk the Vine. Read about her guiding principle and pet peeves.

Following My Passion!
Name: Liz Healy-Kay
Website: www.iwalkthevine.com

Creator/Owner of I Walk the Vine, LLC an apparel and gift line for wine enthusiasts, with national placement in over 50 wineries throughout Oregon, WA, CA, Napa, Sonoma and Texas.

Inspiration for I Walk the Vine:
I started this line from my own frustration of never finding hip, stylish wine tees when in winery gift shops – you don’t have to wear rhinestones to declare your love for wine!

Professional background:
Over 20 years experience in diverse marketing & management roles, primarily in the recording industry. I launched “I Walk the Vine” three years ago.

Education: BA in Political Science, Stockton State, Pomona, NJ

Residence: Portland, OR

Following Your Passion:
Great ideas can come simply from your gut especially if you are bringing to market something different. Products that “wink” and make people smile set a great foundation for enthusiasm. I knew nothing about developing a gift or t-shirt line, running a full commerce website or selling to the wine industry. I had always worked in a tough, competitive, creative industry where you only survived by being special – that translates in whatever you do.

Best way to keep competitive:
Keep it fresh with new designs & products; find ways to communicate & engage with your fan base

Guiding principle:
Always be moving forward & improving – complacency will never grow your business

Yardstick of success: Continued growth in tough economic times.

Best business decision: Trade-marking “I Walk The Vine”

Toughest business decision: Investing in outside consultants to help me grow

Mentors: Entrepreneurs & risk takers

Word that best describes you: Dedicated

Like best about the job: Autonomy

Like least about the job: Uncertainty

Pet peeves: Bad design and cheap t-shirts

Most important lesson learned: Tap your smart friends for business advice

Most respected competitor: I love the story and the massive success of Johnny Cupcakes t-shirts – not a competitor by any stretch but a product & entrepreneur I respect.

Greatest passions: Wine and cooking for people I love

Favorite wine: Buttery Chardonnays and big reds – bring on the Jam!

First choice for a new career: Launch another great idea!

Favorite quote: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them” – Dr Maya Angelou

Most influential book: The Color of Water

Favorite cause: Big Brothers, Big Sisters – I am a mentor to 8-year old “little sister” Promise

Favorite movie: Pulp Fiction

Favorite music/musician: Johnny Cash, of course! All great singer-songwriters

Most treasured possession: My wedding ring

Favorite food: fresh, local, simple with really good olive oil & herbs

Favorite vacation spot: Equally Mexico & Hawaii

Favorite way to spend free time: Cooking


Posted by Passaggio Wines