Staff Interview with Kim Shevalier & Cathy Zimdahl
Kim Shevalier, our wholesale rep, looks back on almost 20 years at the winery...
How long have you worked at KFW?
I started part-time in the vineyard during the harvest of 1992.
What did you do before you worked here?
I worked at home reupholstering furniture, and previously held several office & cash office jobs.
What is your favorite KF wine?
Chardonnay – back & forth between Reserve & Main, depends on oakiness.
What is your favorite memory of time spent at the winery?
Many, many harvests – very hard work but always rewarding – kind of a nesting situation where you worry all season long how things will turn out and then finally the relief of all the fruit being brought in. No phones, lots of wildlife and few people, lovely landscape. Just have to tune out the rain, snow, sleet and hail. Worst sunburn of my life in March with a foot of snow on the ground, The sun came out and got very warm, took off our layers of winter clothes. We were pruning so my arms were stretched out in front of me it was so beautiful until I realized the sun was reflecting off the snow and burned the bottoms of my arms to a crisp –OUCH!!!!
Beer or wine?
Favorite ? Corona or Treleaven Chardonnay
What is your favorite meal to pair wine with?
All of them – chicken or turkey.
What is the best meal to use wine in?
All of them! Seriously though, I cook my roasted turkey with Apple Mystique,or Riesling, or Chardonnay.
Cathy Zimdahl, advertising & marketing maven, reflects on wine and the wine biz...
What is your favorite wine label?
Right now, I'm really into Charles Smith's "Kung Fu Girl". I like all his labels - they're rock and roll and tattoo-influenced. I have also loved "Frog's Leap" label for years. It's such an awesome frog-in-motion drawing, and I appreciate the subtley humorous reference to the much grander concept of "stag's leap".
What the funniest scene in a wine-themed movie?
I love the scene in that Keanu Reeves movie ("A Walk in the Clouds"?) about the Mexican vineyards when a frost is coming and all the beautiful Mexican daughters strap on gauzy butterfly wings and walk through the vines, fanning the air. It's not supposed to be funny, but anyone who has ever actually worked in the fields will find it hilarious.
What is your favorite meal to have with wine?
When my youngest went off to college, I realized I could serve pretzels, Callebaut Dark Callets 70.4 %, and Treleaven Meritage for dinner. It was revelatory.
What's the best and the worst thing about working at the winery?
We are in the business of selling a fun product, and alot of our customers are on vacation, or are at least enjoying a day off from their usual routine, so it's pretty easy to have fun at work. I also enjoy blending trials - we get to both taste the wine and be opinionated about it - two great experiences! The worst thing is the government regulation of the alcohol biz. It just seems really archaic and to no advantage to producers or consumers.
What was the best advise you were ever given?
"If you encourage people to talk about themselves, they will find you the most fascinating person in the world." Oh, and "Never play cards with a guy named Snake".