Wes Kollar - Wine Specialist
I have a passion for wine, a passion that has led me into a lifetime love affair, with a incurable quest for new wine experiences and knowledge that has taken me around the globe. It's a fascinating journey into the cultures, characters and history of the regions that are home to the vineyards and the people who create the wines we so enjoy.
My passion for wine began with an introduction to Ice Wine (or in German, "Eiswein"), a delightfully sweet dessert wine pressed from healthy grapes that have been allowed to freeze on the vine. From there, I was hooked. That's how it begins for most people & tasting a wine that so enchants the mouth and the senses that a lifetime memory is born along with an endless desire to recreate the experience and build upon it for new sensory adventures. My professional journey began as a starving student on a football scholarship at Sonoma State University, earning extra money working in my first job in the wine industry. I was a Cellar Rat, about as glamorous as it sounds - at DeLoach Vineyards where I moved wine from barrel to tank, tank to barrel, doing pump overs, cleaning, and adding yeast and bacteria to fermenting juice. I subsequently worked with over a dozen wineries throughout Santa Rosa, Sonoma and the Napa Valley where I gained experience with vineyard management and laboratory analyses. This foundation led to tasting room experience, working in Barrel Rooms, and hands-on experience making wine. I was able to add a different region of wineries to my resume after moving to Santa Barbara and working for wineries in that area in similar capacities. I have traveled to wine regions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and North America to sample wines and work one-on-one with vineyards in vineyard design and consulting.
I have hosted hundreds of Wine Events throughout California, specializing in Wine Pairing Dinners, for both large and intimate groups. My goal for each event is to work with the chef to personalize the perfect wine pairing to fully express the style and flavor of the cuisine, along with the personality of the customer and occasion. Having held almost every position possible in my 18 years in the wine industry, I now enjoy a 360 degree viewpoint of the industry, with a knowledge of wines from vineyard to table and all points in between.
It's a never-ending education that I continue to embrace by attending monthly wine events where I have the opportunity to taste and learn about new wines from around the world. It's knowledge I love sharing, and look forward to sharing with you and your guests, with an excitement and passion undiminished from that first taste of Ice Wine.
I have a passion for wine, a passion that has led me into a lifetime love affair, with a incurable quest for new wine experiences and knowledge that has taken me around the globe. It's a fascinating journey into the cultures, characters and history of the regions that are home to the vineyards and the people who create the wines we so enjoy.
My passion for wine began with an introduction to Ice Wine (or in German, "Eiswein"), a delightfully sweet dessert wine pressed from healthy grapes that have been allowed to freeze on the vine. From there, I was hooked. That's how it begins for most people & tasting a wine that so enchants the mouth and the senses that a lifetime memory is born along with an endless desire to recreate the experience and build upon it for new sensory adventures. My professional journey began as a starving student on a football scholarship at Sonoma State University, earning extra money working in my first job in the wine industry. I was a Cellar Rat, about as glamorous as it sounds - at DeLoach Vineyards where I moved wine from barrel to tank, tank to barrel, doing pump overs, cleaning, and adding yeast and bacteria to fermenting juice. I subsequently worked with over a dozen wineries throughout Santa Rosa, Sonoma and the Napa Valley where I gained experience with vineyard management and laboratory analyses. This foundation led to tasting room experience, working in Barrel Rooms, and hands-on experience making wine. I was able to add a different region of wineries to my resume after moving to Santa Barbara and working for wineries in that area in similar capacities. I have traveled to wine regions in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and North America to sample wines and work one-on-one with vineyards in vineyard design and consulting.
I have hosted hundreds of Wine Events throughout California, specializing in Wine Pairing Dinners, for both large and intimate groups. My goal for each event is to work with the chef to personalize the perfect wine pairing to fully express the style and flavor of the cuisine, along with the personality of the customer and occasion. Having held almost every position possible in my 18 years in the wine industry, I now enjoy a 360 degree viewpoint of the industry, with a knowledge of wines from vineyard to table and all points in between.
It's a never-ending education that I continue to embrace by attending monthly wine events where I have the opportunity to taste and learn about new wines from around the world. It's knowledge I love sharing, and look forward to sharing with you and your guests, with an excitement and passion undiminished from that first taste of Ice Wine.
