Now, for the second question- ‘How did you wind up doing a radio show?" this one is a little more entertaining.  I started out in the business 20 years ago in retail.  Selling Sutter Home White Zinfandel was the highlight of my day. 

I was energetic enough to warrant a move to the wholesale side of things (selling wine to your favorite bars, restaurants and mega marts). 

One way or another, I managed not to strangle any customers or supervisors and moved my way up the food chain, until I was "upper management" with a very large wholesaler.  For the record, this is where the wine business finally got fun.  Part of my "upper management" job description, which finally included strangling customers or sales personnel, was to educate the public and conduct large tastings.  This put me in a fairly public light.  Because of this fact, when the President of the radio network starting doing homework for a lifestyle wine show, he polled local restaurateurs as to a mouthy female who could speak about wine, and my name was top of the list. (Poor man, I still don't think he knows how badly they all set him up). 

Now, there are two things to remember about lifers in the wine business.  The first is that they are cynical to a fault and are suspicious as hell of any good intentions directed their way.  The second thing to remember is that if you wish to have a serious discussion with anyone in the wine business, do not expect to do it after 7:00 on a Friday night.  True wine people are either conducting a function, or have had to sample their wares repeatedly to get over the week that just occurred.  The president of the studio, unaware of the two bits of wisdom above, dialed my cell phone number at 7:45 on a Friday evening in late October.

To this day, I too am amazed I have a radio show.  Convinced as I was that it was a fun loving competitor on the other end of the line playing a clever joke, it is amazing that the Wine Crush is a place I call home today.  Fortunately for me, despite my sardonic commentary, my flippant responses and all out rude behavior, the studio President thought I was a perfect fit to get his fledgling wine show off the ground.  Although I have to admit, I do wonder if he drank as much as he does now before he made that fateful phone call.  So, it holds true, people don't decide to be in the wine business, it usually decides for them.