Carrie Boyle, a Multi-Talented Force on the Wine Scene

The second of eight installments on a series about women in wine in the Sacramento area, today focusing on Carrie Boyle, who wears many hats in her active life on the scene:

Carrie Boyle, wine-event organizer, wine-brand representative, wine educator, wine writer, wine judge, Sacramento

Carrie Boyle’s life in wine has been exceptionally diverse. She has owned two wine shops. She has been a manager for Total Wine & More. Today, she organizes wine events as co-founder of Whiz-Bang Follies, helps wineries enhance sales through Carrie Boyle Wine Consulting, writes of wine, and judges wine.

She not only has put her Cal Poly degree in business administration with a marketing concentration to widespread and practical use, she has supplemented that grounding by earning certificates in advanced wine studies from several specialized wine programs.

After 25 years in various roles in the wine trade, what have you learned of the American wine consumer?

I think everybody is looking for connection. People use wine to connect with each other. And consumers, over time, evolve, at least in Sacramento they have. Back in the old days when people were interested in wine they wanted to know the winemakers, where the wine was from, what kind of scores it got. All that isn’t as important to younger wine drinkers today. They want to know how the grapes are farmed, what environmental considerations are in play, whether a winery is a good community partner.

What are the most important qualities a wine judge must have?

You have to be open minded, you have to remember what wine is for. Sometimes, judges are incredibly critical, and focus on a flaw, they don’t consider the wine as a whole. I want wine to be celebrated as something to help you enjoy life more. Picking it apart is not helpful. And you have to understand the differences in where wines come from. You can’t judge Mendocino wines by Sonoma standards, or Amador by Napa standards.

With so many wine competitions today, how can a consumer tell which judging is the most reliable, accurate and fair?

Use a wine competition as a guide, not as an absolute rule of law. Try a gold-medal wine from a certain competition. If the wine resonates with you, if you agree with its score, that could be a great competition for you to follow.

When people suggest that judging wine must be one big party, how do you respond?

That is a misconception. Hour upon hour of focusing on wine after wine is physically exhausting. You can’t be distracted. And you have to pay attention to your personal health – drink water and take breaks. It definitely is not a party.

When you want a break from wine, what’s your favorite alternative beverage?

I love sparkling water with bitters in it. That is so refreshing. It gives you a clean slate. And the effervescence makes it seem like a little bit of a party. And I have a little bit of a tea addiction.

You’ve made home wine; how was it?

It was a red blend, and it was a heck of a lot of work. I won’t do that again. I checked that off. I’m good. We called it Forpäas, after our dogs. The label may have been the best part of the whole thing.

In a wine competition, would you have given it a gold medal?

I would not. I would have given it an honorable mention for effort. A lot of work was put into it. We were happy it was drinkable.