Shay Boswell’s career in the wine business has
now come full circle. During her three-year tenure at the
University of Tennessee, Shay was happy to come to Memphis during holiday
breaks and work the register at Kirby Wines and Liquors. Her
parents, Phil and Terry Woodard had opened the store when she was in grammar
school at Holy Rosary. She had not quite settled on a career path while
studying in Knoxville and was hoping a summer “out West” would shed some
light. She took what little wine experience she had and in May of 1992
headed to the Napa Valley. She and a high-school friend, Mollie Jones,
landed jobs on a winery bottling line. They were both won over by the
beauty of the Valley and its vineyards. Out of curiosity, they sat in on
a wine appreciation class at the local college. At that point Shay’s
fascination turned into determination to be a part of such an alluring
industry. The combination of glamour and fun mixed with earthy
agriculture was unlike anything Shay had experienced. Mollie went back
to college in the fall and Shay remained in California. With her
parents’ support she enrolled in the Viticulture and Winery Technology program
at Napa Valley College.
To support herself
while taking classes Shay took a weekend job with a small winery called Casa
Nuestra. This weekend gig quickly turned into full-time harvest help
which transitioned into assisting the winemaker/vineyard manager. She
graduated with an A.S. in the fall of ‘93 and stayed on at Casa Nuestra
through the summer of ‘94.
Wanting to finish what
she started in Tennessee, Shay returned to Knoxville and completed her BS in
Hotel and Restaurant management. While in Knoxville Shay gained
additional experience and knowledge by working as the wine steward for Club Le
Conte. Upon graduation Shay was accepted into the first Kendall-Jackson
university program. It was a 6-month intensive wine appreciation and
selling program that prepared the candidates for management positions within
the company. Upon completion of the program, Shay was placed in the San
Francisco market. She was then promoted to district manager for the
South Florida region where she earned district manager of the year in 1998.
Although Shay enjoyed
her stint with Kendall-Jackson, she realized that she missed California and
the production side of the business. She remained in contact with her
old friends at Casa Nuestra and when the position of winemaker came available
the owners thought of her. Shay and her husband, Ray, relocated to Napa
immediately to prepare for the 1999 harvest. Casa Nuestra at that point
consisted of a 20-acre vineyard, a 2000 case winery and an on-site salesroom
all of which Shay was responsible. The winery produced estate bottlings
of Dry Chenin blanc, Rielsing, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Her first ever
Merlot received 90 points from the Wine Enthusiast, a best of class and
several other medals of distinction.
Being a wine maker was
rewarding, but very consuming, which proved difficult when Shay was several
months pregnant. At such a special time in their lives Ray and Shay
longed to be near their family in Tennessee. Ray accepted a position
with the City of Franklin and Shay came full circle but re-joining the Kirby
staff. Shay’s contribution from such a distance is made possible in this
age of telecommuting.
WINE DIMYSIFIED
“Sometimes you don’t have the time to ask our
staff questions while in the store, or you think of one once home. Ask
me about food pairings, wine making, or whatever winey question comes to mind.
If I don’t know the answer off-hand, I’ll refer to Kirby’s extensive wine
journal library.” –Shay W. Boswell
