Danielle Gerke moved into our neighborhood two years ago. Our paths cross at parties and bunco nights as well as a quick wave and “hi” as she’s walking the dog and I’m dashing somewhere in the car. She is one busy lady with a young son, a thriving business, and now a new venture in her home state of California. But she always finds time to relax with a nice glass of wine. At a recent gathering, our conversation turned to our favorite wines and Danielle couldn’t wait to share her love of Zinfandel and a penchant for discovering new red varieties. Naturally, I asked her to be my next “Wine Lover Next Door” and she was excited to share her wine story with you. Read on…
Danielle, tell the readers a little about yourself.
Danielle: I currently live in Wheaton, Illinois. I grew up in a small town in the Central Valley in California and I really miss California, especially in the winter! I am never happier than when I’m at the beach. I’m always doing something new, I’m an entrepreneur at heart. Currently I own a skincare business and I’m opening a Blow Dry Bar in California with my sister. It’s all very exciting. I just love business and new ventures!
Why do you love wine?
Danielle: I love the richness and complexities of wine. A new bottle is a whole new experience. There’s something kind of magical about finding a new wine that you love.
When did you start enjoying wine?
Danielle: I don’t really remember when I started enjoying wine, it seems like I’ve always loved it but I know that’s not true. I remember at first for years, I would only drink white wine. I didn’t like red, but as I’ve gotten more fond of wine, I’m a convert. Only red for me now!
What wines are your favorites?
Danielle: I really like a big, spicy, slightly jammy Zinfandel – probably my favorite. But I like a lot of other reds too. I also am really happy with some of the blends. One of my favorites is a wine called Babic, from Croatia. I’m not even sure what kind of wine it is!
Do you have a particular wine region you love?
Danielle: I am from California and love California wine. I lived on the Central Coast for years and it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I love the way wines from that region taste, but I think it’s a little nostalgia too. Once, I found a wine in California called Zinzilla. It had a crazy label and I wouldn’t have looked twice at it, but the person in the wine aisle said I’d like it and since it was $9 I bought it. I loved it so much that I ordered a case from California when I got home!
When you go out, what do you choose?
Danielle: Since Zin is my favorite, I usually look for the Zin on the wine list. A lot of places only have one or two to choose from. We went to a place in Omaha called The Zin Room and they had a whole menu of only Zinfandel. It was so much fun!
With whom and how often do you drink wine?
Danielle: I have a couple of friends I drink wine with and my cousin loves it too. She and I have been in business together for years and we used to travel a lot for work and had a lot of fun drinking wine together. My husband likes wine too, so we will share a bottle with dinner sometimes. I drink wine a couple of nights a week usually.
Do you have a favorite wine and food pairing?
Danielle: I think we have some really great restaurants in Wheaton where I love to drink wine. My favorite is Adelle’s. I also love to drink wine at Suzette’s which is where I fell in love with Babic. I love Pizzeria NEO in Naperville. They have a wine that’s only available by the bottle from South Africa that I love, The Chocolate Block. I love when I find someone to share it with. I try to drink wine with all kinds of food because I really like to drink wine at a restaurant. Some of my pairings are more successful than others. I’ve been known to have wine with popcorn on more than one occasion!
How do you decide to purchase a type of wine?
Danielle: I have some trusted sources! My stepfather is a wine lover, so I get some really good wines when I visit. I love to shop at Cabernet & Co. in Glen Ellyn. They are great at helping me pick wines I like. A few times a year they have a huge wine tasting event called (I think) Wine Thing when they open 100 bottles of wine! I went one year and picked two cases of wine that I loved! I took really good notes, (they were good at the beginning of the event, not so great at the end) and I found a lot of wines that way. It was really fun opening the bottles because I really enjoyed each one.
How much do you typically spend on wine?
Danielle: I love to find a great bottle around $10 but more common is $15-20.
How often do you purchase wine?
Danielle: I like to buy 6 or more at a time so I don’t need to run out and buy more. I hate to be without wine!
Where do you purchase wine?
Danielle: I usually purchase wine at my favorite wine shop, Cabernet & Co. I do shop at grocery stores as well for convenience. I’ve been tempted to try an online source, but haven’t yet.
Are there any wines you don’t like?
Danielle: I’m not a fan of whites. I do think that maybe I’m missing out sometimes though.
How knowledgeable do you think you are about wine?
Danielle: I don’t really know that much about wine. I know what I like, but I’d say I’m not that knowledgeable in general about wine.
Do you take steps to learn more? If so, how?
Danielle: Wine tastings are a great place for me to learn about wine. That’s really where I learned what I like.
Do you have any funny stories about your wine experiences?
Danielle: We had a party here and everyone was drinking wine. When they left their glasses unattended for even a minute, my dog, Lola would take a couple of sips. She’s like a ninja and most people didn’t know she had been drinking out of their glass until we saw her doing it!
Thanks, Danielle, for sharing your wine journey! Now, open a delicious glass of Zinfandel and relax!!
Cheers~ Cindy
