Fell into wine while attending University in Salamanca, Spain. As a poor college student, wine was cheaper than water or soda. I remember the taste of my first really good bottle from Alejandro Fernandez Tinto Pesquera in 1993. After graduating from Indiana University, I sought out a career in fashion, which took me to San Francisco and travels around the world. In California, I took every opportunity to take wine classes and head up to Napa and Sonoma to visit tasting rooms. In 2001, I left the fashion world to move to Jackson Hole, WY. It was in WY that wine became a career. In 2013, I passed my Sommelier test with the International Wine Guide and become the wine buyer for The Wort Hotel and Silver Dollar Grill.
Favorite Wine Memory: Watching the sunset in Montelchino, Italy with a bottle of Brunello
Best Wine Surprise: Being on a wine trip with 2 other colleagues and sharing crazy stories and ideas at dinner in Santa Ynez. Fast forward 4 months, now one of those crazy stories are a reality with our wine label, 7 Stories, and our first wine “Passion” Pinot Noir.
Andi Caruso
My love of wine came from the joy it brought when raising a glass in celebration with friends and family. Being from Montana, beer and whiskey were my go-to’s growing up, but once I dove into food and beverage, that all changed. My husband has a passion for food and spirits of all kinds, which has led us to travel around the world. I’ve enjoy meeting the people and making memories with the families who make the wine and spirits first hand. My goal is to never stop exploring.
If I could invent a holiday, it would definitely involve mashed potatoes. I love my grandmas’ mashed potatoes so much.
When I was 5, I was pretty sure I’d be a country singer, with a side gig in the body building field.
My personal motto: Live. Laugh. Love
If you were a pasta shape, what shape would you be and why? Fusilli because I’m silly and a little twisted.
What is a valuable lesson I learned throughout my life? My parents told me to, “Never give up on your dream”.
JesiAnn Gelber