Bittersweet

Bittersweet: I grew up in the Haight-Ashbury and witnessed some of the crazy, zany stuff that went on in the late 1960's. Of course I was a teenager at the time and was really oblivious to most of the "bad" things that went on in my neighborhood. I spent most of my waking hours studying at Lowell High School in San Francisco. As one of the highest rated schools in the city, I found myself constantly at awe with my fellow students. My grades were so-so, but good enough to get me into the University of California at Berkeley in the mid-1970's. I enjoyed a mixed career as an undergraduate studying psychology. In my senior year, I tried my hand as an English major and found myself so far behind that I simply could not matched the well-trained, over-read students already way deep into the program. And then came the Ashbury Market!!!

My parents ran a fine, neighborhood business, taking care of the inhabitants that occupied the Haight-Ashbury and Ashbury Heights area. So while competing at UC Berkeley, I launched my new love...a bona-fide wine vocation. I got distracted from my studies and my parents, who had no idea what school and academics was all about, desperately looked to me as "the son" who would take the family business to the next level. I quickly grew the Ashbury Market wine department and received surprisingly great press coverage. I developed the department but finally gave way to my younger siblings, who wanted to grow the business their way. In 1993, I left our business and found myself out there until Beverages & more! (now known as BevMo!) hired me as the company's first import wine buyer. In 2000, I became e-commerce cellarmaster, which became cellarmaster. So what is the bittersweet stuff?

Because, I became so bitten by the wine bug, I still need few units to complete my BS at Berkeley in psychology. I wonder if I just stayed with my academics, if I would have become some kind of wired scientist or worse, a doctor or lawyer, something that my parents wanted me to become. Instead, I have become this wine guy, who tastes around 8,000 wines annually, meet and interview winemakers and travel four to seven times abroad a year to France, Italy, Spain, Argentina and other famed vineyard countries. What is better doing what you were meant to do? Or, becoming a successful, empty suit? While I may still grab those few units, I really love what I am doing and revisit Berkeley often, especially around Vine and Shattuck, where I can discover the world's greatest cheeses at the Cheeseboard to pair with my favorite wines.In vino veritas!