A Brief Introduction to the History and Community of Wines Around the World

Wine is not just a drink, it is geology, agriculture, family history, and a thousand small decisions that end up in your glass. We sit down with Tamra Lindahl, a certified sommelier and Costco wine steward in Minnesota, to hear how a 20-year career as a flight attendant turned into a deep passion for wine education, terroir, and the people who do the hard work in vineyards and cellars. Her story is a reminder that “wine culture” is not about status, it is about curiosity and respect. 

We get practical fast: how sommeliers train their palate with sensory “muscle memory,” how to recognize classic markers like oak and buttery Chardonnay, and why your nose usually tells the truth when a wine is off. Tamra also breaks down what most shoppers miss when they buy wine, including how reading the label front and back can reveal single-vineyard clues, vintage details, and even why a bottle’s price suddenly drops. If you want better wine pairing choices without overspending, her approach is simple: learn your preferences, try new grapes, and focus on place. 

We also dig into underrated wine regions and high-value picks, from Washington and Oregon to Portugal’s rising profile, Vino Verde, Spain, and Chile. Along the way, Tamra shares what she has learned about organic vineyard practices, the realities of growing grapes in tough climates, and the trends changing the wine industry right now, from orange wine to spritzes and more experimental aging. If you enjoy wine tasting, sommelier tips, and budget-friendly wine shopping, you will walk away with concrete next steps and a longer list of bottles to try. 

Subscribe, share this conversation with a fellow wine lover, and leave a review to help more people find the show. What region or grape are you exploring next?

Transcript

Joe Boyle, Host 0:06

Welcome to Stories in Life. You're on the radio with Mark and Joe. We share stories that affirm your belief in the goodwill, courage, determination, commitment, and vision of everyday people.

Mark Wolak. Host 0:21

Our goal is that through another person's story, you may find connection, no matter your place in life. The stories we select will be inspiring and maybe help you laugh, cry, think, or change your mind about something important in your life.

Joe Boyle, Host 0:38

Join us for this episode of Stories in Life. What would you serve them and what would you be your wine pair with it? Oh. And who would it be?

Speaker 7 2:22

Boy, that puts me on the spot. There's so many people that I have such respect for.

Mark Wolak. Host 2:28

Yeah. I mean that it's a tough question.

Speaker 7 2:32

I'm very fascinated with with the Pope. Pope Leo. I would love to sit down with him and have a dinner.

Speaker 2:41

There you go.

Mark Wolak. Host 2:42

And uh just would you do the show to N after pop?

Speaker 7 2:49

I probably wouldn't.

Joe Boyle, Host 2:52

Because he'd expect that.

Speaker 7 2:54

He would expect that. And knowing that he's from Chicago, I know he probably has an idea. Um actually I'd probably I'd probably pick a super Tuscan or something from Italy. Something that um is in Italy where he is.

Speaker 6 3:09

Yeah.

Speaker 7 3:10

And uh probably I'd actually probably pick a pasta dinner um with uh probably carbonar or something. Go nice with it, depending on his on his food, if that's something that he likes. That influenced me and the respect that I had, because a lot of people are like, oh, you're the wine steward, and you probably drink a lot. Actually, it's actually the history of it all that I appreciate and I like to tell stories about. One of the very reasons I'm here talking to you because it's pretty neat.

Joe Boyle, Host 4:37

That's pretty neat that you your interest got really sparked over the whole history aspect of glowing wine.

Speaker 7 4:45

I could not believe it. How many people, families, countries, churches were involved in this. I mean, it blew me away.

Meet A Minnesota Sommelier

Mark Wolak. Host 4:59

So today our guest on Stories in Life is Tamra Lindahl. She is a certified Sommelier, and we are gonna talk wine. That's great. But you're a Minnesota kid.

Tamra Lindahl 5:11

I am.

Mark Wolak. Host 5:12

Yeah. So that's important for people to know that you can be a wine sommelier in Minnesota.

Tamra Lindahl 5:19

A wine snob, if you want to call me that. Yes, you can.

Joe Boyle, Host 5:24

So how did you get certified? How does that work?

Tamra Lindahl 5:27

Uh the certification works well. Um, I was lucky enough to be a full flight attendant for 20 years, fell in love with wine and lived in eastern Washington, where all the wine is. And went to school for it. I actually studied uh Enology, geology, wine, grapes, bugs, you name it, um, studied a lot of this where it all began.

Mark Wolak. Host 5:57

What does it take to go to school to learn that?

Tamra Lindahl 6:00

Well, in Washington State now, like Davis in California, um, I went to Central Washington University, which is in Ellensburg, Washington, and I did it while I was a flight attendant. Okay. My love for the wine started when I flew all over the world. I was a Northwest Delta flight attendant for twenty years.

Joe Boyle, Host 6:19

Okay. You were tasting everywhere.

Tamra Lindahl 6:21

I was at five day layovers in Paris and you name it, Italy. Um, my regular one was Amsterdam, but if I was there for five days, you know, technically we were supposed to stay within a hundred miles of where we are.

Joe Boyle, Host 6:37

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 6:38

But we would get on a bus or we would get on the train. You know, the train system in Europe is pretty fantastic and we were gone. So sometimes I went by myself because you're with a crew and you're like, well, I have an agenda.

Joe Boyle, Host 6:50

Yep.

Tamra Lindahl 6:50

And um a lot of people uh think that the reason I got caught up in the wine industry was because of there is a lot of the drinking part of it, but I actually fell into it because of the historical part of it. Had no idea how involved the Catholic Church was, how involved how how many lives it changed in agriculture.

Mark Wolak. Host 7:16

Yeah, the Pope always got the best wine.

Tamra Lindahl 7:18

Chef enough, you got it. Some of my favorite Rhone blends, I'm telling you. So I happened to discover that you know, these are people's lives over there.

Joe Boyle, Host 7:28

Um and that's what sparked your interest.

Tamra Lindahl 7:31

It was. And I knew that um when I was flying that eventually I felt like I was given a gift that I was living in eastern Washington in the middle of Washington State were some of the just the great wines that a lot of people didn't know about.

Mark Wolak. Host 7:44

Right.

Tamra Lindahl 7:45

They still don't. Washington's kind of a um a secret. And a lot of the members that I've met at Costco, I've told, you know, your value in the Washington wines versus California. You get more value and you're paying less. You're getting cleaner wines.

Joe Boyle, Host 8:01

Does the same go for Oregon wines?

Tamra Lindahl 8:04

Oh, Oregon is awesome. Yeah. Yep, same thing. Organic, clean. I mean, when you think of Oregon, especially the wine industry, it's very hippie ish to me. It's a food scene, it's a wine scene. Um, everything is done predominantly organically.

Joe Boyle, Host 8:20

Let's get out there and tour. Oh, I'm telling you guys.

Tamra Lindahl 8:23

If you do, I'll give you a list of where to go. And there's people I know, and I actually spent time. So when I worked at Owen Row, when I took a job on there when I left the airline industry, they had a winery in Yakima and a winery in uh Newburgh. And the Newburgh area was the place where we made all of our Pinot Noir for Owen Row. So as a staff, we would sometimes get sent down there to do both, which for me, I'm like, yeah, because I'm getting paid to do all this, it was awesome. But I was also running a winery when I was down there.

Joe Boyle, Host 8:55

Really?

Tamra Lindahl 8:55

You know, selling and being a part of um the Owen Row family, which is really had I not fallen into something, it started, it actually started me falling in love in the airline business with the wine, moving to eastern Washington because I didn't want to be on the west side because it was too rainy, volunteering to work in a very small winery, Ellensburg, in Ellensburg, called Thrall and Dodge, just a mom and pop, and that's really where it started. I fell in love.

Joe Boyle, Host 9:25

Um That's how you learn.

Tamra Lindahl 9:26

Yeah, the the owner of it was Troy Goodrow, and he's like, you know, I need someone to help run my wine shack and sell wines. And he said, You can sell. I know about you, and I know that you're a flight attendant, you know a lot about wines, and I know you're gonna go to the World Wine Program because he knew John Huddleston, which was So this was before you went into school. This was all before I decided that I was gonna go into the program at Central Washington.

Joe Boyle, Host 9:52

Gotcha.

Tamra Lindahl 9:53

And they're like, I fell in love punching down wines and learning about the chemistry and the history of the wine industry that was just in eastern Washington that a lot of people didn't know about. I knew about France, I knew about Italy, yeah, I knew about all this stuff, but it wasn't until I got to Washington State and I was given an opportunity to walk work part-time in eastern Washington that I really fell in love and I had already made up in my mind I was going to school, and my plan was to exit being a flight attendant.

Mark Wolak. Host 10:21

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 10:22

Because I had found a new love. You guys, I was on an airplane on 9-11.

Mark Wolak. Host 10:26

Uh-huh.

Tamra Lindahl 10:27

Going transcon from Seattle to Boston, and we happened to land in Minneapolis where my family was and where my other home was. And everything changed after that.

Mark Wolak. Host 10:38

So You landed on 9-11, you landed in Minneapolis. So you actually were really fortunate.

Tamra Lindahl 10:44

I was very fortunate because a lot of my friends were stranded all over the country of the world.

Joe Boyle, Host 10:47

So you were on your way to Boston, rerouted to Minneapolis.

Tamra Lindahl 10:51

It happened to be where I was born and raised. So I feel like it was a sign for me.

Mark Wolak. Host 10:55

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 10:56

Um, everything just kind of flew from there. Um I was in a relationship and we decided that we were gonna support each other. And I said, I'm gonna eventually I'm gonna retire. So um I stayed on, and then in 2013 and 14 for three years, I went to school while I was flying.

Joe Boyle, Host 11:14

Okay.

Tamra Lindahl 11:14

And that's where my love I mean, you guys. The Missoula floods that never existed in Washington that changed the the rocks that are in Allensburg are not the rocks where they came from. They came from Missoula, Montana, and they're in Ellensburg, Washington. There was this huge flood. All this historical information, I was done. I was in it 100%, and I knew that this was going to be the future of my life.

Mark Wolak. Host 11:41

So you're

Learning More About Terrior

Mark Wolak. Host 11:42

talking about the terroir, right? The terroir.

Tamra Lindahl 11:45

Yeah, and it really makes a difference if you think about it. Um, when you taste enough wines and you have a professor that you come in, and every day there are five and six glasses of different types of wine when you're starting, and you have pieces of leather, you have kiwi, you have oranges, you have a match, you have wood, and every day you smell it. So it gives you a muscle memory. And didn't think it would work, but to this day it has it's ingrained in my my brain. Like a Chardonnay from California. Oak is strong and obvious. Oak like your oak table, and Chardonnay from California should be like butter, glycerin. So I want a buttery Chardonnay. It's one of the first things he ever showed us butter, oak smell. Put it in your head. And so when you start doing blind testing to educate yourself and give your that muscle memory, it's hard, but eventually you do it so much.

Joe Boyle, Host 12:46

It's you answered one of my questions I was gonna ask you. Uh like how do you train your palate to identify those aromas and bouquets and regions, that's how you do it flavors.

Tamra Lindahl 12:59

And the hardest thing about it is, I mean, don't quote me. I I know there's more than probably 400,000 wines in the world, if not more. Ones that we haven't even discovered yet that are buried. I think that um John Huddleston, he is a winemaker himself, um teamed up with a really great group of professors. And the education part of it, the historical part of it, but the hands-on stuff is what really made a difference. And the testing. The testing was not easy. So every day for three years, we would walk into a room and there'd be something new there.

Mark Wolak. Host 13:40

Oh, that sounds fun, actually.

Tamra Lindahl 13:42

Balsamic vinegar. Anytime I think of it, I think, uh ooh, that's gonna remind me of a wine that has gone south. And you bacteria, Bretomyces is a bacteria that you hear about that they use in sour beers. So Bretomyces is a bacteria that's inside a barrel that if you drag your finger on the inside of it and it comes out a little slimy, that's what Bretomyas is. Not something you want in your wines, but the French, some of the French believe that it actually helps younger wines to give it more substance. Where once you smell it, which in my case and in the case of the winemaker that I'm very close to, Jackie, who works at Owen Row, I can no longer smell it in a wine and a drink the wine.

Joe Boyle, Host 14:31

It's like a if it's there, that's a turnoff.

Tamra Lindahl 14:35

It's a turn off and it's not something that you want in your wine. Um, but you would have to have a trained nose and a palate in order to smell it. I can smell it as soon as the bottle's open. And it's only because it's been so ingrained for three years in my brain, yeah, over and over again. Could I have done some other things? And we did. I mean, a lot of my friends that I hung out with, we did stuff outside of even the classroom just to educate ourselves. And a lot of it, I think my love of history, you know, a lot of people don't know that the Pope was kicked out of Rome and sent to France. And in doing that, they built a vineyard. And that vineyard to this day is some of the most expensive, exquisite wines that you can drink, Chateau Neuf de Pop. Um, but they're Roan blends. So you can find Rhone blends that are not Chateau Neuf de Pop that are just as good. They're just a different vineyard.

Mark Wolak. Host 15:26

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 15:27

So I always tell people, I'm a frugal wine buyer, but if it's a sp special occasion, I'll buy the good stuff, or I'll tell people like you, Mark, um, about wines that I think are really good deals. Kirkland does that. Kirkland goes to these in everything that they do, the Kirkland brand stands on its own out of respect and they've earned it. They go to the vineyards that are the best. And when they walk in, none of the wineries like to see Costco because they know they're gonna get a a hard-nosed negotiation. We want you, but we also want the good stuff, and we also want a good price. So um that kind of is what I knew that Costco was the number one wine buyer and seller in the whole country. I knew that they had a lot of power. My friends in Seattle introduced me to Costco and they're like, you know, you need to be a wine buyer for Costco, you know a lot. But I felt like you know, a lot transpired here. I'm a vagabond flying all over the world. And I didn't want to give that up. So I thought, where do I want to work and who do I want to work with and who do I respect? And it was Costco. I had a one-on-one interview just out of the blue. And in the case of when this was happening, my mom wasn't doing so well. And I knew that I was gonna come back to Minnesota. I just didn't know when, I didn't have a plan. But it all kind of fell into place when Costco called and said, you know, we need a wine steward in Minnesota. So I went on a one-on-one interview. They said you're extremely overqualified for what we're doing, but we have been looking for someone like you for eight years. So we'd be interested in you coming in and talking to us. So I've been there ever since.

Mark Wolak. Host 17:16

Seems like a really good fit for given that they are such a prolific buyer of wine.

Tamra Lindahl 17:22

They are a prolific buyer of wine, and um they never cease to amaze me, the new stuff that comes out. Like they have never done a just recently this year, they have never done since I've been there um a Bordeaux Blanc. And for summer, this is the first year they put out, and it has semi-on and sa blanc. It is an exquisite, lovely, frugal, just beautiful wine for seven dollars. And I've been telling people about it.

Joe Boyle, Host 17:54

Wow. And I mean, let's my wife and I love that Montepulciano.

Tamra Lindahl 18:02

And what I tell people about that, I associate it kind of medium-bodied, and these are the sort of things I say to Mark is kind of like a Pinot but heavier. But Europe gives you more floral and a Matte Pucciano, floral, Provence, France, where all the perfume is, floral. So there's certain things in Italy you should be smelling in your wine. And I just thought ever since we had a Maltopucciano the last three or four years, we have sold every bottle and it covers everybody's palate. It's a medium-bodied, beautiful, beautiful wine from Italy. It's clean, it's organic, they don't use pesticides, they do the do don't do the stuff that we do here. That I wish the United States would start cleaning things up. And they are. They just need to be better about it. There's certain places that I know that are that are doing their very best to keep what they have originally done since day one. And that's why I always say to people, I know the vineyard, I know the winemaker, and that's why I trust it. You know, this whole idea of getting headaches with bad wines and stuff, it has a lot to do with your chemistry, but it also has a lot to do with the chemicals that are in the ground sulfates, all that stuff. Yep. That's why I always tell people I am very supportive of our wine community, and that was part of the reason why coming back to Minnesota was really important to me. But I had to wrestle with the fact at the time that I came here, we're talking about Marquette, La Crescent. And while I love them and I love supporting the University of Minnesota, it wasn't Washington State. So I thought perfect opportunity for me to meet all of you. Costco was the avenue in my knowledge, and um sharing with people that I know there's plenty of people in Minnesota and Wisconsin that are foodies that drink a lot of wine. And we need to raise that awareness, that education. That was my goal when I came back here was this is how I was gonna do it. And you know, now with all the rules that have changed, you can plant, you can, you can send for graft wines from all over now. I mean, they've lifted kind of it's it's a new world in the wine industry, and I'm glad because it's gonna keep it alive.

Joe Boyle, Host 20:21

Sounds to me like uh you were a missing piece to the Costco puzzle in this area.

Tamra Lindahl 20:27

Well, I I I feel like, yeah, so the really cool thing was, and I think I originally met Mark was at Maplewood, and then um a lot of the people that I had met there originally at Maplewood store moved to the Woodbury store. I got a promotion, and it was my first store that I actually physically put together all of the wines according to how I learned how they should be placed by country, by varietal, by whatever Costco had a map that we followed. But and that's what I do now. They send me to new stores and I set it up.

Joe Boyle, Host 20:59

We can vouch that she does a pretty good job over there. Yeah, we can. Thanks, guys. Yeah, thank you.

Tamra Lindahl 21:04

And you know what? I appreciate that because we've all kind of grown together. I feel like our palettes change, we have moments, family dinners, occasions in which you know I always hope that I give the right wines and suggestions, and it's not always gonna be success. I mean, that's like some people like mushrooms, other people don't. Or I love 'em. And when I think of mushrooms, I think I'm gonna have a Pinot Noir from the Willamette because it goes so beautifully together. And it doesn't have to be forty-five dollars. Right. It can be one that's Costco. Costco's Willamette. Pinot Noir's absolutely fantastic. I really am a frugal wine girl.

Mark Wolak. Host 21:47

Yeah. Um And you know us, we're frugal wine shoppers. You are you don't have to spend a lot of money to drink good wine.

Tamra Lindahl 21:54

You do not. You just have to no uh you know and I have uh learned.

Mark Wolak. Host 21:59

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 22:00

A lot over the course of being a wine person.

Mark Wolak. Host 22:04

So for our listeners, we've got listeners all over the world. Fift fifty-three countries so far. Wow, that's excellent.

Tamra Lindahl 22:10

And more coming.

Mark Wolak. Host 22:11

Yes, more coming. Are there training places all over the world? If you want to learn about wine, you can go anywhere in the world too. Okay.

Tamra Lindahl 22:21

There's classes. And once I got I graduated from the program and got my certification from Central Washington's Worldwide Program. And we were also sent to Europe. So not only did I graduate that program, but we were over in Europe for I don't remember how long, but it was for a little while. We were in Hungary, we were in Austria, and we actually got to physically see a lot of the stuff that goes on in the other countries. So I I knew that oh I'm graduating. I know this is gonna this is gonna this is gonna be my next love because I didn't know if it I loved being a flight attendant so much, but I felt like I was being pulled somewhere else. Yeah, something like that. And the wine industry was where it at all the people and all the families, people don't realize being a winemaker, being in the wine industry, it's like gambling because you have mother nature and it's a it's a battle. But if you're winning the battle, it's fun. And there were plenty of times, you know, working at these wineries that we were losing battles to diseases, to pottery mill due to the weather, to the heat, to um leaf roll. I mean, every country has its battles. Chablis, a really early frost, they put all these fire c cauldrons out, and it looks like the mountains on fire. No, it's to save these very, very, very old Chardonnay. Chablis is the location in France, but it's Chardonnay, very old Chardonnay that they're trying to protect. So I appreciate that. These are families and workers that are protecting what we love.

Joe Boyle, Host 23:56

Right. A lot of lineage and and uh family history

Master Sommelier Testing And Wine Myths

Joe Boyle, Host 24:00

tied to those places.

Tamra Lindahl 24:01

Well, yeah, and everybody's oh you're the wine store, you're a master somm. Well, I'm I'm a first level Master Som, and I stopped after the first level and I did it myself to challenge myself when I got to Minneapolis. The Master Psalms were here, and you had to pay a fairly hefty price, and I love a challenge. I think there was 200 of us at the Hewing Hotel. It's a kind of a long day. You walk in, you paid your stuff, they sit you down, you have glasses in front of you, and it's a day of testing, sampling, spitting out, and trying to pass. And I think 75 of us of that group that went through passed it. And you know, you guys, what I appreciated is um I had the luxury of going to school and my professor saying, Focus on France in Italy. If you can get through France and Italy, you'll get through anything because they are the hardest things to remember.

Joe Boyle, Host 25:06

The grape differentiate and all that.

Tamra Lindahl 25:09

The soil is the terrior is the most important thing. Um the grape is important, but actually the location is the most important. The winery, the chateau, and the location. If you can get burgundy, you can get the I'm just gonna say France in general and Italy, because it can be very complicated and confusing. That's why when people come into Costco, they're like, I want a Chardonnay. I said, Chardonnay from North America or Chardonnay from Europe? And I said, There's a big difference. Location, location, location is driven into your brain from day one because it's really, really important and it does make a difference, and the wines do taste differently.

Underrated Grapes And Regions To Try

Joe Boyle, Host 25:50

That plays into another question I had for you. Is there a wine region or a specific grape that you think deserves more attention by consumers?

Tamra Lindahl 26:01

Um boy, that's not getting not getting its due, so to speak. I think a lot of the grapes that are in uh Chile Spain don't get the recognitions verdejos, vino verdes. These are absolutely uh unreal white wines that are chili's very uh organic. Um they do a lot of dried drip, which is um stressing the vine out to max, which means they use little little water enough to stress it. And when that happens, when the vine is under stress, it actually goes to the grape, and the the flavors of the grape get stronger as the vine gets stressed. Stressed to the point of where you're not killing it, but you're giving it they've got it down to a fine art guys, guys. I mean, the technology that they have from when I started to what is now would blow your mind. My very dear friend Linda Trata, who is the winemaker for butter, um, has influenced me like it is where I am today because of her her knowledge, her patience, her knowledge. She was at Swiftwater Cellars, and then they let her go, and then she worked for Total Wine, and then she went from Total Wine to another winery, and now she's the shyest, don't bring attention to me winemaker that was put in the Times Square with her name on it, and sitting there, and I'm like, I know this woman, and she is the greatest winemaker I've ever met.

Joe Boyle, Host 27:32

And she was kind of a mentor, she was my mentor. Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 27:35

And I just think to myself, wow, the the journey that this wine life has been for me and the people that I've met, and that includes you guys, the people that I've met, I know that I'm on the right path.

Art From the Heart

Joe Boyle, Host 27:54

And now it's time for stories in life. Art from the heart, deep thoughts from the shallow end. Each episode, we bring you a poem, a song, or a reading just for you. Raise a glass where laughter lingers and honest stories bloom. Good wine gathers patient hearts, softens hurried thoughts, and turns strangers into companions. Each sip carries sunlight, rain, careful hands, and quiet years of hope. Around the table, kindness ripens beside conversation, while shared bottles uncork gratitude for simple moments. We toast friendship, resilience, generous listening, and the gentle courage to be ourselves. This poem was written specifically for stories in life on the radio with Mark and Joe.

Tamra Lindahl 31:03

Everything is always about f you know, the obvious. Oh, the wines from France, the wines from Italy. But when you talk about Chile and Spain and stuff like we're talking about really good wines, value Portugal. Portugal's on fire right now.

Joe Boyle, Host 31:16

My wife and I two years ago spent a month in Portugal and we toured the Duro Valley.

Tamra Lindahl 31:22

Oh, and and some of the wineries, best in the world. Yeah. And they're up and coming. So I feel like um I'm a big Vino Verde. I just love it. Um My daughter loves that. It's such a refreshing, especially now this time of the year.

Joe Boyle, Host 31:39

It has that little uh almost like a carbonation.

Tamra Lindahl 31:42

Effervescent.

Joe Boyle, Host 31:43

Effervescent, that's it.

Tamra Lindahl 31:44

Yep, it's an effervescent, and that's why I like it. Um, I wish we would see more of that here. I wish we would see more of the Rieslings here because we live in a state in an area in which people love their German Rieslings and Rieslings from Washington. There's very good Washington Rieslings. Um, you know, I'm a big blend. I love blends because I think it covers everybody. If I'm gonna choose a wine, it's gonna probably be a cab. Um, but I do like the blends.

Mark Wolak. Host 32:13

We're serving a cab tonight.

Tamra Lindahl 32:15

Is it from Costco?

Mark Wolak. Host 32:17

Of course. Yes, it is.

Tamra Lindahl 32:20

But you know, you guys, um, I I think it's um there's so many, like the Tempernillo. There's we just got a Tempernillo Rioja. Um, that's a rose. I mean, when would you ever see that?

Mark Wolak. Host 32:34

Wow. Wow. See, I think one of the things about your back about your interest, you know, and going back to history and culture and and thinking about the families, the people that made wine over time. I think that's what makes it so much more interesting and fun to drink wine, because if you think about what it took to make it, especially these smaller vineyards, you know, that are family-owned trying to make it.

Tamra Lindahl 33:00

Well, as a matter of fact, I wanted to tell you guys, today is June 9th, and you know the look the Saint Germain that you use in all these drinks. Well, it's families that pick the flower that makes that on June 9th every year, and they put them in a in the back. They put them in the back of these satchels, and it's just specific families that do it. These are the sort of things that I tell people about.

Joe Boyle, Host 33:30

Where is that grown?

Tamra Lindahl 33:31

France.

Joe Boyle, Host 33:32

France.

Tamra Lindahl 33:32

Yep. And it's a pain in the butt to do. It's a lot of hard. I mean, we're talking about a lot of hand picking. And you guys have been to vineyards. Yeah. Can you imagine hand picking this stuff?

unknown 33:45

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 33:46

This takes a lot of effort and a lot of people and a really good team coordinated. And I feel very lucky that I was always a part of those benefits. Yeah. I was with good teams, good teachers, good professors, good winemakers, good staff, the people that don't want to do all the hard work. We were put out there. Yeah. Owen Rowe said, you know, um, the owners of Owen Rowe, everybody was always involved in everything. And that's what I loved about it is that it wasn't just about selling wine. It was about the people that were showing up that were drinking it. Our land, our grapes, our area, our staff, and our people that work really hard to put that glass on the table.

Joe Boyle, Host 34:34

So you gotta respect that.

Tamra Lindahl 34:35

It's a I have such respect for the workers. You guys can't even imagine. And it's been, you know, everything that's been going on in our world lately, it's been a real challenge for winemakers and keeping their staff safe.

Mark Wolak. Host 34:49

Sure.

Tamra Lindahl 34:50

And um protected.

Mark Wolak. Host 34:52

So I had this uh desire to grow grapes in Minnesota, and I did that for four or five years. The last year I sold the property, and the the new owner got like 200 pounds of grapes off 25 plants.

Tamra Lindahl 35:10

And what are you using?

Mark Wolak. Host 35:12

Um they were marquettes primarily, but I couldn't believe how much work it was to try to get grapes.

Tamra Lindahl 35:20

And to they're your babies, right, and to try to harvest at the right time and the turkeys and the birds get them and the spraying the bugs, the trellising your canopy, yeah, cleaning out your canopy so the wind can get through. Mother nature, hail.

Joe Boyle, Host 35:36

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 35:37

That's why I say, and I said at the beginning, was it's a challenge, it's like gambling.

Joe Boyle, Host 35:42

Yeah, too much rain, not enough rain. Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 35:45

No, and Mother Nature, I mean, now we're in an El Nino. I think this is the El Nino period that we're gonna go through. So there's gonna be extreme heat.

Mark Wolak. Host 35:53

Very dry.

Tamra Lindahl 35:54

Very dry, which for grapes in certain areas is good as long as you have a good trellising system, you have you have good vineyard workers and you have a good watering system.

Mark Wolak. Host 36:03

Yeah. So during that time, we traveled to France and we were in a region not too far from Chotenneuf de Pop. Yes. And it was a small vineyard, and I asked the owner how he managed insects, because at that time I was dealing with these a lot of insects that were affecting the fruit. Oh, yeah. He said that he had he went organic and he found that um the nighttime insects would eat the daytime insects and vice versa. So that they basically he ran a vineyard without spraying for insects.

Tamra Lindahl 36:42

So they probably let the insects probably bought them and dropped them in there so that they would eat each other. So that makes sense.

Mark Wolak. Host 36:50

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 36:50

And I don't know if you noticed, but they probably had a lot of did you see roses or lavender?

Mark Wolak. Host 36:55

They did.

Tamra Lindahl 36:56

That also helps.

Mark Wolak. Host 36:57

Yep, they had lavender growing in the middle of the rose. Yep.

Tamra Lindahl 36:59

And they'll have roses at the end because roses takes the bugs away. Makes them. You'll see that a lot in a lot of the vineyards in the United States and in Europe. So there's methods to their magic.

Joe Boyle, Host 37:12

A lot of uh wine uh plants grew in rocky soil, you know, alkali kind of.

Tamra Lindahl 37:20

Yep. And that gives you really, really, really good palate.

Mark Wolak. Host 37:24

Yeah. Flavors. The Roussillon Valley. I love that. The wines from there.

Tamra Lindahl 37:30

Yep.

Mark Wolak. Host 37:30

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 37:31

Yep. It's all about, you know, and that's what I love that I want to see in a wine, especially if I know the area. I want to taste the minerality, especially in a white wine. I want to taste it in a burgundy. A burgundy should have minerality in the Kotanuitz or so.

Mark Wolak. Host 37:46

So I have a question. What's been your biggest surprise in the wine business?

Tamra Lindahl 37:51

What I thought I was gonna do at Costco and where I am is not what I envisioned.

Mark Wolak. Host 37:57

Say more about that.

Tamra Lindahl 37:58

I thought maybe that I would pursue a bigger job title, but I found that I like to be with the people that are buying the wines. Yeah. And I I'm a teacher at heart and educating and also being challenged by members or friends or family that I'm with. Um, like for example, I go up to a resort and they know my background, and we're gonna have a wine tasting there because they want to learn, because they know I love doing that, you guys. And so I think what what's happened is doing this with you guys has inspired, I think, another part of what I might do. And I might actually even exp expand that into some sort of business.

Mark Wolak. Host 38:41

Yeah, I think that's a really good idea.

Tamra Lindahl 38:42

And I've had more people say that to me.

Mark Wolak. Host 38:45

You should pursue that.

Tamra Lindahl 38:46

Yeah, and it's something once I can drop down to part-time or limited part-time at Costco, because I don't know if I'll have a fully retired.

Mark Wolak. Host 38:53

For our listeners who are just new to wine.

Tamra Lindahl 38:56

Yes.

How To Learn Wine More About Wine

Mark Wolak. Host 38:57

What would be a what would be a starting point for people if they're, you know, uh in terms of learning about taste or learning about wine?

Tamra Lindahl 39:07

The wine the it's called the W Set W S C T, the Windset. Um, there's programs in Minneapolis and everywhere. It's a hybrid of wines of the world for you to get certifications and there's different levels. And there's a really good program that there's a guy, I can't think of his last name. His name first name's Jason. And he does a lot of wine tastings all over Minnesota, primarily in Minneapolis and St. Paul, but he has events on a regular basis. Um, a lot of the members that come into Costco uh follow him. Um I wish I could remember his last name, but um he is a I don't know what level psalm. I'm a first level, so that basically is a vineyard geek where I'm at at Costco. If you go up higher levels in the Master Psalm program, then you're putting yourself in a restaurant in the business of making wines like like uh the guy that makes method. Um he's a master psalm, so he went through all the levels. Whereas I just wanted to do the first level. Um which in itself was not easy.

Joe Boyle, Host 40:24

Oh, it sounds like it was really challenging.

Tamra Lindahl 40:27

It was very challenging.

Joe Boyle, Host 40:28

Yeah, what would you tell someone that uh is thinking about becoming uh a psalm uh as far as the challenges they should be ready for?

Tamra Lindahl 40:38

The industry's tough. And it's hard to get into certain places, especially if you're now what I'm doing, retail, that's fine. Um, but if you're going into New York, Seattle, and you want to be a Psalm, you wanna take care of that book, you wanna pick the wines, you wanna I mean Baldemar. Michael. I mean, he knows his wines. He flies in winemakers from all over. I mean, Dave Finney was just here. Michael Mandavi, I went to that dinner. These sort of things like this is how you learn is by going to these wine dinners, going to the wind set, going to events that involve wine tasting, and educating yourself so you can get that muscle memory. And a lot of it is at home too.

Joe Boyle, Host 41:26

Sure.

Tamra Lindahl 41:27

I mean, you'll drink enough wine where you'll smell something, you guys, it does your nose doesn't lie. If something's off putting, nine times out of ten, something's up. Educating yourself on your own, do a lot of research. The best tool that I found is a book called The Wine Bible. Karen McNeil is a master psalm, and she's put out many editions, and it is every sort of history, grape, winemaker, country. It is called the wine bible for a reason.

Mark Wolak. Host 42:03

Sounds wonderful.

Tamra Lindahl 42:04

And I always encourage people to do that. And then the other one would be my other Bible, my wine Bible that I refer to is um it's called the Wine Atlas. And that starts from the very beginning from the onset. I mean, it goes all the way back back to the Bible. So and then when they came here, and you know, when I always ask people where do you think the first vine in the United States was planted?

Mark Wolak. Host 42:31

Where?

Tamra Lindahl 42:32

Where do you think?

Mark Wolak. Host 42:34

What would be your guess? I would guess say East. I would say like pilgrims or something. Yeah, New York, maybe New York State.

Tamra Lindahl 42:41

Good guess. Augusta, Missouri.

Mark Wolak. Host 42:44

Oh, really?

Tamra Lindahl 42:46

Yep. And I love to tell people that because with Hollow World right now, those were immigrants. Yeah. That did that. Yeah, absolutely. And I think that that means a lot. Means a lot to me. Yeah because of my friends that I worked with in the vineyards. Yeah. It means a lot to the historic history of it. Yeah. And we go back to what we talked about earlier, the respect of it. I have a lot of respect for the wine industry at every level. Yeah. It is a difficult, difficult world, but if you can get in, work your way up, I think you can have a great life.

Trends That Are Changing Wine Industry

Joe Boyle, Host 43:21

Could you talk to us a little bit about the current trends in the wine industry? You must see a lot of things come and go. What's what's one of the trends that is remarkable right now?

Tamra Lindahl 43:33

I'll tell you what's remarkable is I'm a traditionalist. So the likes of us putting wine in bourbon barrels, never thought I would see that. I'm not a fan. I like the original old school, but honestly, Joe, I think it it is gonna prolong the wine industry. I don't think there are any rules anymore. I mean the rules have changed to the point of where You can buy vines now and ship them where you never could do that before because of crossing state lines and stuff. I think that when you follow rules and if people I mean, think about this. Germany, very cold. A lot of very cold sort of grapes that are grown in Germany. Why can't we do that here? Well, the difference is our freeze goes pretty deep. And we have to come up with things that, you know, we have two weeks of really deep freeze of 40 below zero. And like in Michigan, they use they use hay. I mean, some people bury their vines, some people, it depends on where you live. I mean, again, we're getting back to the mother nature part of the business. Getting back to your question, I like what they're doing, but I will always be a judicial, but I will always support the advancement of keeping our wine around forever. And I think that you have to think out of the box. If you don't, then you're left behind. And I like that they're these orange wines, um, that they're making more spritzes with wines, they're wine slushies. You know what I mean? That's big with the new ninja machines and stuff, they're slushing wines. My whole thing, you guys, is if somebody is drinking wine and they started drinking Francia, my goal is to get them off Francia and get them to a really nice wine that they can enjoy. But as long as you're drinking wine, I like it. Yeah, I'm happy. I'm happy that you're drinking wine. However, you can get there, and most of us, I mean, you guys, the very first wine I ever had was I was 18. I went to the Nickolet Island Inn. I was on a date, and we had Barringer White Ziffendel. It was big. I mean, when we think of that right now, I'm like, my grandmother drinks it. You know what I mean? I mean, that's the don't you guys have any of the baringer white ziffendale? Do you have anyone white ziffendel? And I'm like, nope, we don't.

Joe Boyle, Host 46:04

My grandmother used to serve Mulgan David.

Tamra Lindahl 46:07

Mogen David is another one. This is what I'm saying. You're drinking wine though. This is why, you know, for example, I tell people to Google stuff. I mean, take it with a grain of salt, but a lot of people don't know that apothic, it is true that apothic, if you're drinking it, and I drank it many, many years ago, because it had a sweeter pal palate. The reason it has a sweeter palate is because the Concord grape is also in it. Welch's grape juice. So it gives, think about we're in Minnesota and Wisconsin. If you're going to convince someone to like wine, you want to add a little more sugar. It's 16.5% of extra Welch's grape juice, but it's food grade. So it's a part of it. It's just not Vitis finifera. Wine grapes are called Vitas Vinifera. If you go into Washington State, you'll see Concord Grapes and Vitas finifera growing near each other. I mean you have to, as you're saying, have options for everybody. Sure. And I think in doing that and introducing wines that might have a little more sugar in it, um, are okay. I mean it it covers everybody.

Dinner With a Person of Your Choice in the World

Joe Boyle, Host 47:18

Mind if I throw you a curveball? No. Okay. You can have dinner with any person on earth, dead or alive. What would you serve them and what would you be your wine pair? And who would it be?

Tamra Lindahl 47:33

There's so many people that I have such respect for.

Mark Wolak. Host 47:36

Yeah. I mean that it's a tough question.

Tamra Lindahl 47:38

Oh, I would go I you guys are just gonna laugh, but I'd probably do a beautiful steak dinner with a nice gab. Because the two are my favorite. I'm very fascinated with the Pope. Pope Leo.

Speaker 47:51

Leo.

Tamra Lindahl 47:52

I would love to sit down with him and have a dinner.

Speaker 47:55

There you go.

Mark Wolak. Host 47:56

And uh just would you do the show to Naf de Pop?

Tamra Lindahl 48:01

I probably wouldn't.

Mark Wolak. Host 48:03

Because he'd expect that.

Tamra Lindahl 48:05

He would expect that. And knowing that he's from Chicago, I know he probably has an idea. Um actually I'd probably I'd probably pick a super Tuscan or something from Italy. Something that is in Italy, where he is.

Mark Wolak. Host 48:20

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 48:20

And uh probably I'd actually probably p pick a pasta dinner. Mm-hmm with uh probably carbonara or something, go nice with it. I just think the spirituality of how I was raised, how the Catholic Church has been instrumental in I mean, when you think about it, you guys, Dom Pierreon, all of the beer that comes out of France and Germany, um, Italy, that goes way back. They had to come up with something for tithe. They had to do something to survive. And they did it through wine, vineyards, helping people raising money for the church. There's a lot of history there.

Mark Wolak. Host 49:03

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 49:04

I'm sure there's more history we don't even know about. I mean, we're talking about Bethlehem, we're talking about I mean, this stuff goes way back. And I know for a fact with the way the DNA is now, that they will find other vines that are buried, that new varieties are gonna come up that were never that we never even knew existed when you have DNA. And I think that that's another when you talk about something that's saving the wine industry. I think it's gonna save all kinds of fruits and stuff when you can do you know, molecular stuff like this.

Joe Boyle, Host 49:34

Do heirloom, heirloom varietals. Oh, and it's it's good for agriculture as a whole. Yeah, it is, you know, yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 49:41

It really is. You know, you'll find a lot of getting on that level. What the other thing that I respect is uh the owners of Owen Row had bees. They had lavender, they had bees, they did everything that they could possibly do to be successful with Mother Nature playing games periodically. Yeah. But if you just stay the course and you believe in what you're doing and you have a going back to the staff, I can't say enough how important that influenced me and the respect that I had. Because a lot of people are like, oh, you're the wine steward, you probably drink a lot. Actually, it's actually the history of it all that I appreciate and I like to tell stories about. And one of the very reasons I'm here talking to you guys that there's pretty neat.

Joe Boyle, Host 50:20

That's pretty neat. Yeah. That you your interest got really sparked over the whole history aspect of growing wine.

Tamra Lindahl 50:28

I could not believe it. How many people, families, countries, churches were involved in this? I mean, it blew me away that a vineyard in the middle of France has some of the most expensive wines.

Mark Wolak. Host 50:41

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 50:41

And it's because the Pope was kicked out. And it wasn't just one Pope, it was several.

Mark Wolak. Host 50:45

Yeah, I think it was five to seven hundred years, wasn't it? Or five hundred years that the Pope lived there? Yes. In Avignon.

Tamra Lindahl 50:52

Yes, and this is the this is the sort of thing that I enjoy is that a lot of people are like, Why are you so fascinated? Well, it's when you see the papal crest on the bottle, when I buy it, yeah, I know what comes with it.

Mark Wolak. Host 51:06

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 51:07

And not just that, but gigindas has a crest on it.

Mark Wolak. Host 51:10

Is that how that's pronounced?

Tamra Lindahl 51:12

That's the way I say that's the way I say it. A volcraise. It's in France, it's a location, but you're still getting Rhone blends. Yeah. You're getting a GSM, a grenache, a Mavedra, Syrah. Imagine being a winemaker, like my friend Linda Trata. It's like being an artist. You're allowed to do whatever you want, and your goal is for all of us to love that wine enough to pay whatever it costs to get it. And they get to do whatever they want with it.

Speaker 6 51:40

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 51:40

And do spins. I mean, the tasting, if you were at a tasting like I was at Owen Row, there'd be 300 wines and there'd be 12 of us and we'd sip and spit nonstop.

Speaker 6 51:51

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 51:52

Take wines that we liked, take wines we didn't like, and we would pull away and put the ones we like, and then we'd whittle them down, whittle them down, whittle them down, and come up with as a staff, what we thought this is the cab that we want our high-end cab to be.

Speaker 6 52:08

Wow.

Tamra Lindahl 52:08

Or we want it's a real long process. So when you're pouring that glass of wine, I'm I'm like, okay, just to get that wine bottle with the capsule and the cork. Depends on what cork you use, how long the cork is, if you're doing engraving, what kind of label are you doing? Are you doing organic? You know, there's all these factors. I know without even putting the wine in it, eight dollars minimum to start. To even break even now, it's probably more like $10.

Speaker 6 52:38

Wow.

Tamra Lindahl 52:39

When I was in school, it was seven to eight dollars. That wasn't including everything else for you to break even. And if when you think when you go to Costco, there's plenty of wines that are under $10 at Costco.

Speaker 5 52:50

Right.

Tamra Lindahl 52:50

So when I look at that and I tell people, this Bordeaux Blanc that's not even $7, buy it. Yeah, we're gonna do it.

Joe Boyle, Host 52:58

Because you will love it.

Tamra Lindahl 53:00

Yes, because it's a beautiful wine on a hot summer day, and you will really enjoy it. And you're not that's what gives me joy in being a wine steward is that I'm giving you something that's not really expensive and you can enjoy it. Yeah. And there's more like that. Yeah, you just have to learn

Read The Label And Trust Your Nose

Tamra Lindahl 53:18

how to look for it. And if I give anybody an advice at all, yes, I know that labels influence. So we did a test in school that we stood out and answered, we did a uh a quiz, was one of the things that we had to do is find out why Joe buys wine and why Mark both buys wine. Is it the label? Is it money? Is it a combination of things? Are you being influenced by people who talk to you? And the number two things women was labeled and the men were the money. Women were labels and men were the cost. What am I getting?

Speaker 6 53:48

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 53:49

And I'm kind of both. I thought that kind of helped me in my frugality because I thought in my mentoring, you really don't have to spend a lot of money. Now, my birthday every year, I do spend a lot of money on a wine that I have my eye on. I pick one wine because I work really hard and I choose it for myself, and that's my present to myself every year.

Joe Boyle, Host 54:10

Yeah, it's a good birthday present. It is. When's your birthday?

Tamra Lindahl 54:13

Christmas Day.

Joe Boyle, Host 54:14

Oh, how about that?

Tamra Lindahl 54:16

So the girls that I work with, they're like, Did you find one? I go, why did you guys pick out three that are there? I am teaching again. I want them. I'm not always gonna be here and like Nicole, Dean, and Chloe. I've I've known those guys now for quite a while. If they don't know, they'll ask me, but I have confidence in all those guys that they've been around a long enough, or they'll ask me, or we bounce things off each other. We're good staff in there, but they feel confident when I'm not there to pick out stuff. We all observe each other. So I think that my love of my love of the wine and my love of that wanting them to feel confident that they can help Mark and Joel at Costco. It doesn't always have to be me. And that's why sometimes I push them. I want them to. I don't know. Well, what do you think? What do you feel? You know, what do you what have you had? What do you like? And Nicole doesn't even drink, but she's learned over the course of time. You you're just as important here. And again, we're getting back to the people that I work with that I think I'm thinking, I want them to feel confident when they, you know, leave here if I'm not always here.

Joe Boyle, Host 55:22

Well, you're a good example, and I can I can give you an example. It's you've probably done this with me ten times over the years. You watch what I'm looking at, what I'm studying, what I pick, and then you say you give your opinion on it afterwards, and you say, that's a good one. You know, that that's really good. I drink that. And and I love your input because you know what you're talking about.

Tamra Lindahl 55:48

Well, and I think it's important, but I also want everyone to think step out of your comfort zone too, and try stuff that you're not used to because that's how you find out what you love. That's what I had to do. If there's a grape I don't really love, and I which I like I love it, but it has to be very specific. I'm not a big Pinot Noir fan. That really, if I'm gonna order it on a menu, has to be with truffle food or very earthy stuff from the from Oregon that it's gonna influence my wine. Now, the stuff from Owen Row, my favorite wine, Pinot, that came out of Newburgh. But it was because I watched how it was made. I had to taste it all the time, and it's some of the best Pinot Noir that I've ever had, besides Burgundy. Burgundy has Montetre and just yeah, Cotonouitz and all these wines I I really shouldn't be buying, they're very expensive.

Joe Boyle, Host 56:42

But when you crack a bottle of wine and you're enjoying a bottle of wine, what kind of music are you listening to with that? What do you like to listen to?

Tamra Lindahl 56:50

My mood. Uh all kinds of music.

Joe Boyle, Host 56:53

Like what?

Tamra Lindahl 56:54

Depends on where I'm at. If I'm at the cabin I got country music on. If I'm having a nice dinner, I my parents think I'm weird. I won't even have the TV on. I'll just put uh music on. So symphony, Beethoven, or some jazz. I kinda am all over the gamut. It really plays on my mood. Um if I'm having a steak dinner. Probably be, I don't know. Rock and roll. Something good. I don't know. Depends and it depends on whether or not I have company. If I have my friends, like when we do this wine thing that we're gonna do uh up north, I want it to be a good experience. But I also want them to learn how to go to Costco or wherever they're going and choose different wines that they may not have had they not sat with me and tried things that they don't know that they like.

Mark Wolak. Host 57:41

Yeah. I think you're on to something about a training, you know, like a a s a side gig where you offer that to people because most most of us were very habitual, you know, we were gonna buy what we always buy. Yep.

Tamra Lindahl 57:55

Um that's why I try to encourage you guys to know like the Susco. I know it's the vineyard, it's a single vineyard. And that's the other thing. If I have to give any advice that if you're really getting into the wine and you want to further your education, it's really important, it's really important to start reading the labels front and back. Because it really does make a difference. Produced and bottled, vintage and bottled, vintage and you know, I always tell people, look at that because that makes a difference. You can look at a chemist that's a single vineyard that's being handpicked and was a hundred dollars, and today it's sixty-eight. Okay, well, as a wine person, why isn't it a hundred dollars anymore and why is it sixty-eight? Something's happening. Plus, we have it in a liter. Okay, well, Costco probably negotiated that, but that tells me that California probably has a lot of grapes and they have a lot of juice. So these are things you learn over the course of time of why was it $100 and now it's 68? What's the disparity? That's a lot of money. Yeah, it is $40 plus. Yeah. Um, I look at stuff like that. Prisoner, Prisoner Wine Company. Dave Finney's still on the board. Some of my favorite wines. I love his wines. Um, Machete, you name it. He puts all this stuff out, but he's got other lines too. Everybody wants to meet him. But he's an absolute cult. He disturbed the peace in California. He did everything that you weren't supposed to do, and his wines are some of the best in the world. And he's kind of moved on. He's doing other stuff. And uh he's probably one of my most favorite winemakers um is Dave Finney. And he was he, I don't think he I think he sold prisoner. Prisoner was bought. Do I think it tastes the same when Dave was had his hand in it? I think he's on the board. No. Yeah. I taste the difference.

Joe Boyle, Host 59:56

Yeah. You are a vintage geek.

Tamra Lindahl 59:59

I'm a vintage geek. I really am. And I can taste difference.

Mark Wolak. Host 1:00:02

Is there anything that you wanted us to ask you that we haven't asked you?

Tamra Lindahl 1:00:08

I think you've asked everything, but um sometimes you don't know what you're gonna fall into. And I truly, you know, went to lay went to layovers thinking, oh, I just want a nice wine. And then it was the people that I met. They're like, oh, we want you to come to our vineyard. Why don't you come tomorrow? And we'll take care of you and walk through the vineyards. And I'm like, is this what your life's like? I'm like, oh my God, I want to come back here and retire.

Joe Boyle, Host 1:00:33

Yeah.

Speaker 7 1:00:34

You know what I mean? I mean, but it's hard work. These people, this is their baby in Europe, in the United States, in Washington, in California, in Oregon, these are their babies.

Joe Boyle, Host 1:00:44

Yeah.

Tamra Lindahl 1:00:45

And the wine industry, as is the beer industry, we all kind of hang out together. We kind of stick together because it's a business, it can be a tough business, but if you're successful and you're put on the map, it's a positive thing. And I just love the wine industry. I just think that the people are kind of they're they're foodies, they're wines, they're tied to, you know, the food industry. They're tying to quirky people, they're artistic people, they're and hardworking blue-collar. And I I just love they're a family that I really appreciate. I've grown to really hold close to my heart. So I think it's a great industry to get into. Just choose in what avenue you want to go into. And then I think it's really important to have a wine education. Meaning take the wind set, take a level where you're certified, and then find out do you want to go into retail? Do you want to go into working for a winery? I did a little bit of all of it. Wholesale, what I'm in now, or do you actually want to be in fine dining? Which you, as a Master Psalm, most of the Master Soms either have started their own businesses, like Ian Koble that does the method, started a wine company, started a wine business, owns it. I trust him because he's a master psalm and his name's on it, along with a winemaker that's respected. And his wines are fantastic at Precision Wine Company. They're good wines.

Joe Boyle, Host 1:02:12

Yeah. Well, that's why you know what you're talking about because you've dabbled in a little bit of everything. You you worked at the winery, you worked in retail, you've you've been to the wine tastings, you know the people who are growing this stuff, and that's pretty impressive, and that makes your story a good one. And that's why we appreciate that you came here today.

Tamra Lindahl 1:02:34

Oh, I appreciate it, and I'm I understand why you guys do that because you meet people and you don't know what their backgrounds are, and then you start talking to them, and it's a much deeper, more appreciative story when you start talking about it and the people that are involved. So I appreciate the invite and it's been a lot of fun.

Joe Boyle, Host 1:02:53

Great to have you here. Our music today was from Billy Joel. Scenes from an Italian restaurant from the Stranger album from 1977. We also heard Spring Vivaldi, the Four Seasons, by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by Itsak Perlman.

Reflections on the Episode with Mark and Joe

Joe Boyle, Host 1:03:21

Well, Tamara was delightful. You could tell she was so enthusiastic and easy a conversationalist and just a lovely person to have on.

Mark Wolak. Host 1:03:42

Yeah, she really has a passion for the art of wine. And she loves the community of winemakers and families. Uh such deep experiences. I really, I really picked up on that. And of course, then the history, right? The history of wine.

Joe Boyle, Host 1:04:00

Well, there she carries a pride uh of being in the industry, and that really came off.

Mark Wolak. Host 1:04:07

Yeah, it really did. A deep knowledge, a deep appreciation, and she Lot of respect. A lot of respect. Yep. She really likes to teach about it. She's got a good a way about her that encourages others to learn. Right.

Joe Boyle, Host 1:04:22

I'd encourage people to get her for a wine tasting.

Mark Wolak. Host 1:04:25

Yeah. In fact, we should do that. Yeah. She mentioned a person, Jason Kelson, I believe, is a Twin City wine educator that she mentioned. She was struggling with his last name, so I'll just mention that in case people were wondering who is that. Okay. But uh, she certainly is, in her own way, quite an expert, and I'm really glad we had her come to the show.

Joe Boyle, Host 1:04:47

I am too. She's in her element, and uh she it was very educational.

Mark Wolak. Host 1:04:52

Yeah, let's have her come back. Okay. Thanks, Joe.

Joe Boyle, Host 1:04:55

Thank you.