Simply put, I've always loved a crowded table full of food + wine. Starting in 2017, I hosted an annual rose tasting party just for fun with girlfriends. My cousin said to me, "You should go into business doing this." I really didn't think much of it at that point, but it was a sweet compliment. Two years later after a trip to France I couldn't stop thinking about wine. Crazy complicated and somew
hat intimidating but I was ready for change and jumped in. The first wine book I read referenced the term "oenophile" (EE-no-file), basically a head over heels lover of wine. I had become a type of "phile". I don't know why but I actually got a kick out of that. After that, I left a 15 year career in recruiting and jumped into learning as much as I could about all things wine. Apparently, this put me in the "cork dork" category. It was something new and I was excited, so I didn't mind the stereotype. I thought, who wakes up one day and decides to add that to their list of goals? Well, me, I just didn't know it had a name! Once I jumped into the Certified Specialist of Wine program, friends started reaching out for advice on what wines to buy for gifts, how to read wine labels vs picking from the "pretty" ones, and what wine to serve with dinner. Splitting time between Sister Bay in Door County, WI and Denver, CO it occurred to me there really aren't any hands-on "resources" that bridge the gap between wine knowledge and real-life application. And definitely not one with a sit-around-the-table-and-have-a-fun-time-with-friends-tasting-wines vibe. So why did I name my company "Oenophilia's Table"? I get that one a lot though not as much as how to say it. Say it with me now....EE-no-feel-ya! (Side note - I was nervous about that when I came up with the name. How will people talk about what I do if they can't remember the name of my business because they can't pronounce it? Well, it fits me to a “T”, and I love it so in comes a whole-lotta phonetic spelling content!)
The answer is a simple one. I'm a host by nature and I can throw a damn good dinner party. I love to cook and bake and, of course, all things wine but creating an experience, something that's memorable, is the aspect of entertaining I love the most. And, if you think about it, that experience starts and ends at the table. A table. Pretty basic, right? At some point though, it occurred to me that it's more than furniture. Its a metaphor for all the things I love that always end up there. Wine, vegetables, herbs and flowers from my garden, textiles, ceramics and serve ware I've collected over the years. Did I mention wine?! The most important being people. Especially those I've never met and have yet to meet. Put it all together and I suppose you could say you've got a crowded table...literally! But that's my style and a table is just a table until it's a crowded one. And so began Oenophilia's Table, founded in 2022 in Door County WI + Denver CO. Curated wine tasting experiences for the crowd at your table or mine. - Erika
