Wine reps are always eager to share their knowledge and passion, and they always seem to have a fabulous, soon-to-be-discovered bottle hanging around the backseat of their car anxiously awaiting a gathering & a corkscrew.
Val Markus is one such woman – vivacious, self-assured, and passionate, with a contagious enthusiasm for wine. I sat down with Val last Friday to sip herbal tea and talk about wine and her life as the Washington State Manager for Vineyard Brands.
KM: As a wine rep, what does your job entail?
VM: Getting distribution and sales of our imported wines primarily. We sell wines to the distributors, set prices, establish programs, etc. It’s great! Being a sales rep is quite varied - I’m not just tied to a desk all the time. I make appointments with restaurateurs, and pour my wines at tastings and educational seminars. It keeps me in touch with the public. I enjoy bringing people interesting wines – it’s new for them – it’s exciting.
KM: When did the proverbial wine bug bite you?
VM: It was really a growing thing – I wish it were more romantic. I went to college late, graduated with a BA in drama, and I needed a real job to make money. I was a single woman and knew I needed to support myself, but with what? I knew I liked wine, but I didn’t have a lot of knowledge of it. I went to work in a restaurant, then in a retail wine shop, and my knowledge of wine grew. I put the word out that I wanted to work for Noble Wines and was soon offered a job as a distributor sales rep. My knowledge level grew exponentially, and from being in the business, my passion grew.
KM: Who influenced you at the beginning of your career?
VM: Mickey McEachern, a friend who worked with me at Noble Wines. She was so focused, fun and successful. Greg Nelson, one of the owners of Noble, has a pulse on the wine industry. He’s a visionary with tremendous passion - I learned a great deal from him.
KM: Who influences you now?
VM: Michael Brown, my current boss, has the energy and vibrancy I admire. He’s the kind of person that walks into a room and captivates it. His wine knowledge and palate are excellent.
KM: From where do you get inspiration?
VM: My tasting group - it currently has no name, so I just call it “Karla’s Group” after the founder, Karla Kilgore, of Classical Wines of Spain in Seattle. It’s a great place to go to surround myself with people whose knowledge of wine is greater than my own.
KM: Whom do you read?
VM: Mainly periodicals. I read Wine Spectator – because so many people read it. I need to know what they are reading. Steven Tanzer of the International Wine Cellar - I respect his palate and his writing about wine. Robert Parker is a huge, momentous force in the wine world so I need to be up on what he’s reviewing. Working for an importer it’s important to read international publications, so I try to read Decanter and Gambero Rosso. The Oxford Companion to Wine by Jancis Robinson – anyone just getting started in wine should get that.
KM: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in the wine field?
VM: Some good advice? Get yourself into a tasting group. Taste wine with attention on a regular basis. Read and get educated. Refer to books like Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion to Wine. There are tons of free tastings in the city every week. Check wine shops, restaurants, and wine distributors – it’s a great way to educate yourself. If you have another job and are unsure about the next step, get a part-time job at a restaurant or wine shop – if anything else, you can make great connections. Nine years ago there weren’t many women in the wine business. Greg Nelson, of Noble Wines, was a big advocate for hiring women. Noble used to be known as a company with a high percentage of women in their sales force. The wine business can be very successful for women. Generally speaking, their intuition is more developed which helps in sales. They’re empathetic with their customers.
KM: What is your favorite wine region and why?
VM: That’s the great thing about this business, you don’t have to commit to just one area. My palate continually changes and develops. That’s the beauty of wine. I went through a Spanish phase, an Italian phase. Right now I’m really into white wines - Italian whites, German, French and Spanish. Albarino is a beautiful varietal from Spain. I rarely drink domestic wines – I prefer European. European wines have more soul, terroir, and their varietals are unique. To me, they just have more soul.
KM: What are some great Seattle restaurants that are focused on wine or have interesting wine lists?
VM: Shawn Mead at Campagne – the list is primarily French, but she’s passionate and particular about her wine list. Bryan at Brasa has a fun list and I love the way it’s presented - our styles are very compatible. Matt’s in the Market has great value. He goes out of his way to find interesting wines, and he lets you taste the wines first if you’re unsure about ordering.
KM: What is your favorite food and wine pairing?
VM: I was traveling through Spain with a friend. We were having a lot of great wines, and a lot of meat – lamb, goat, etc. At the end of the trip we went to Portugal and wanted anything but red wine and weren’t very interested in eating big meals at that point. It was scorching, so we were drinking Manzanilla, a Spanish dry sherry, and just kind of figured out that potato chips would go really well with it.
Of course there are the classics – Champagne & oysters, Champagne & caviar, Champagne & popcorn. Just take one of those half bottles with you to the theatre – it’s great! White Burgundy with practically anything. German Riesling & foie gras - another classic. A big, juicy sausage with Pinot Noir.
I have this really great taste memory of a dinner at Cortez, a restaurant in San Francisco. The waiter recommended an Albarino with the halibut carpaccio. The Albarino was too floral with our meal, so we gave it to the waiter and ordered a Gruner Veltliner instead. It made all the food stand out – the halibut carpaccio was perfect with it. That’s what a great wine will do with a meal - it was an amazing food experience!
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