Yesterday, Wine Enthusiast announced online their 40 Under 40 Tastemakers for 2019, and I was proud to see a friend and Virginia winery CEO on the list. Kirk Wiles, CEO and Founder of Paradise Springs Winery located in Clifton, Virginia and now also in Santa Barbara, California is well-deserving of the recognition.
Kirk Wiles, CEO of Paradise Springs in Wine Enthusiast. Image by Ashton Worthington, ashtonography.com.
The Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemakers list recognizes the young winemakers, brewers, beverage directors, grape growers and other movers and shakers who are changing today’s beverage industry.
Kirk has built his winery from the ground up starting in a tiny barn about 45 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. Over the next few years, he expanded the property in Virginia to include a huge tasting barn and event space. Eventually, following a dream, he opened operations in Santa Barbara, California and became the first American bi-coastal winery. Truly an amazing feat!
I can’t wait to see where Kirk goes from here, blazing trails in the wine industry. Proud to say he is a friend and fellow University of Miami alumnus.
Jacqueline Coleman is a 4th-Generation Miamian, professional wine + travel writer, wine consultant, and wine judge for the American Fine Wine Competition & Key Biscayne Wine & Food Festival. She is the monthly "Vino" columnist for Biscayne Times, writes a quarterly wine column for the Miami-based foodie magazine, Let’s Eat, and is the "Through the Grapevine" wine contributor and consultant for South Florida Luxury Guide magazine. She is also a regular contributor to the Coravin company wine blog and Winetraveler.com.
A lifetime student of history and wine, Jacqueline has a passion for exploring the local cultural and culinary heritage and flare of her unique city. She received her formal wine education at the U.S. Sommelier Association, FIU Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Wine Program, The French Wine Society, and the International Sommelier Guild. You can follow her wine tasting events around South Florida, personal stories, travel adventures, and musings about the "wine lifestyle" on her blog, History & Wine (www.historyandwine.com).
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