A lot of people in the wine industry got their start by waiting tables and working in
restaurants. I never waited tables much…but
my mom is an excellent cook and every night we had a home-cooked meal. Instead, I was a competitive skier for much of my growing up years and through college. I was on the US Ski Team for 6 years and spent a lot of time in Europe (summers training in Austria and competitions in the winter all over…but mainly in France and Italy). And I always loved the food and the slowed down lifestyle there. I retired from the US Ski Team when I was 25 and moved to Breckenridge, CO to be a ski coach.
That spring, a friend and I traveled out to California
for a Pro Mogul competition and when it was cancelled for the women…we took off
for the Napa Valley. I fell in love with perceived easy going lifestyle, bountiful culinary scene and pursuit of a quality in their craft…wine. I craved a future in this world…and I read as much
as I could about wine over that summer…and within six months I landed a job as a
wine sales rep. I was hired by a fledging wine company and a mountain manager who
was impressed more by my skiing results and my liberal arts education than my
wine knowledge… but he knew he could teach me. I was eager to learn and he could see that.
The wine company was founded by three individuals who excelled at sales in the
big wine & spirits companies in Colorado…and wanted to build a company
based on boutique, quality driven, small production wineries from around the
world. We represented importers like Kermit Lynch and wineries like Turley,
Flora Springs, Zind Humbrecht, Bonny Doon, Lang & Reed, Peter Michael, Laurel Glen, etc.
These were not huge wineries…and I was not just taking orders …I had to know the grape varieties, the growing regions, the winemakers, vintage variation, case production, barrel treatment etc. This was the part that I loved. They took us to California wine country every May…and the learning curve was huge. I went to Aspen and took (and passed) the Certificate level of the Court of Master Sommeliers in 1998.
After three years…I was tired of my car and I was ready for a change. I flew to Geneva and went skiing in Chamonix…and found the coolest wine shop I had ever seen. No beer, no
spirits…just wine…and stacks of it in a small space. Six months later I opened a wine shop in
Breckenridge, Co. I was 30 years old and determined to be the place that people came to for their bottle of wine…for their dinner that night…or for a special occasion.
Eleven years later…I am still the owner of Ridge Street Wine…though we have grown and now
sell amazing cheeses & chocolates and other gourmet items. We also have a
cuvinet from Italy (the Enomatic) that keeps the wines fresh and tasting their
best. We have seating for 22 and serve wines by the glass and cheese
plates. Come see us sometime!
For the past four years I have also been working as a wine rep again…for a different
company, but with the same ideals… to bring great, small production wines to
Colorado. It keeps me on the learning cusp and allows me to keep bringing a new and refreshed perspective to my shop…and I love it! In addition, I now teach wine classes at our local community college.
Anne Dowling
Ridge Street Wine/
Breckenridge Cheese & Chocolate (www.breckwineandcheese.com)
Synergy Fine Wines
