Meet the wine dolls taking the wine industry by storm.
The Wine dolls, please tell us who you are and how the wine dolls came about.
WD: Kate Benziger was born and raised in the heart of wine country, Sonoma. She grew up around the vineyards at her family’s wineries, Benziger & Imagery, and truly fell in love with the world of wine.
Dana Carow grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and early on, grew an affinity for world travel, food and of course, wine. The two of us met our freshman year in college and became inseparable.
We combined our affinity for wine, food and travel and have been lucky enough to travel the country and world while seeking out incredible experiences. The Wine Dolls came about while we were drinking red wine on the couch (naturally). Kate is in casting and Dana is in IT consulting but we both felt like we were lacking purpose in terms of our passions. The idea sparked because we’ve always been excited about finding wineries from the beaten path that aren’t the top “googled” spots. So, we came up with the Wine Dolls to show our followers our favorite spots that might not be well known but should be at the top everyone’s list!
Everyone has a starting point, what was your starting point when it comes to wine?
WD: For Kate, wine came early. Her family started Glen Ellen Winery and then later Benziger and Imagery, so wine has always been in her blood. She developed an early passion for the business that she could never give up. Dana grew a passion for wine while traveling to 30+ countries and seeking out world renowned restaurants, wineries, and experiences. Her affinity for food always paired well with a great glass of wine!
When did you start blogging/ social media, and what was your motivation for getting started?
WD: We had no intention of starting a blog, but after one glass of wine (okay, maybe two) we knew we could impact a following with recommendations and suggestions that you wouldn’t get from your typical sources like yelp and google.
Ladies, what are your favorite varietals?
WD: Great question. We are both fans of bigger, bolder reds. We have always been drawn to California Cabernets. But recently we’ve become fans of Bordeaux after meeting a really energetic sommelier at Wally’s, a wine bar in Santa Monica. We have never met someone that personifies wine like he did. He refers to California Cabs as the “egotistical LA jerk that walks into a bar and orders a martini” as opposed to a Bordeaux who is “the suave, well-mannered professional who orders a bourbon”. While we will never waiver from our love for California Cabs, we did appreciate the hilarious way he gave wine personalities.
Is there anyone in this industry that inspires you?
WD: We thrive off of inspiration! We are inspired by Kate’s cousin, Jamie Benziger. She has worked incredibly hard her entire life to become the winemaker of Imagery Winery but it hasn’t always been easy. She never gave up. Her persistence and love for wine is something we admire and look up to. She was recently recognized by Wine Enthusiast Magazine as a “Top 40 Under 40 Tastemaker” and we couldn’t me more proud!
Wineries (and especially wineries with PR and marketing budgets) seem to be tripping all over themselves for blogger attention. Do you think this is the right tactic for wineries to follow?
WD: Absolutely. We live in a digital age and wineries have to be connected to their consumers via social media. Part of the reason we started to blog is because we found a gap between our social media obsessed generation and the actual winery experience.
But, our purpose as The Wine Dolls isn’t to target the wineries with PR and big marketing budgets. There are a lot of amazing wineries that don’t have the big name or following that we aim to bring to life.
Do you have any memorable wine experiences that have left a lasting impression that is hard to forget?
WD: That is always hard to narrow down because every wine tasting creates lasting memories. Hands down, McClain Cellars. This is a hidden gem in Laguna Beach, CA. The winemaker creates his label names based off of life experiences and work with artists to design labels that will share his story. The owner is always in the tasting room and truly gives his guests an amazing experience. We can’t recommend it enough!
Secondly, we’ve had multiple memorable moments at Benziger at on our annual wine tasting with our best friends. We’ll spare you the details.
What are some of your local favorite varietals? Do you lean more towards red or white?
WD: We always lean toward red but we don’t discriminate!
Recently, we discovered a winery hidden in the hills of Malibu called Cielo. The owner is a hippie from the 60’s and named his wines “Flower Child”, “Woodstock”, “8 Ball”, etc. We’re normally not rose drinkers but we were a big fan of Cielo’s!
What are your favorite wine events? In other words: if fans would like to meet you in person someday, where are they sure to find you?
WD: Our fans wouldn’t find us at the popular events. You’ll find us as exploring undiscovered wine bars and wineries. We’ve never imagined fans, but if one day we do, we can’t wait to meet them!
On a personal note, when not doing wine professionally, what do you ladies do to unwind?
WD: After hours, you can find us at a local karaoke bar showing off our chops! Our favorite is the Gaslite in Santa Monica. Meet us there!
The greatest lesson you’ve learned in business is….
WD: Don’t ever take things personally. Work hard, have high character and do what you love. The rest will come.
What are you both doing to stand out in the saturated wine market? Are there any projects on the horizon we should know about?
WD: We don’t want to chase the biggest and best names in the market. Our mission is to discover the winery underdogs that deserve recognition and share those experiences with our followers. In terms of next projects, we have some ideas in the works, but first, we want to put the Wine Dolls on the map!
Any last words?
WD: Is it Wine Wednesday yet?
