We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amie Nemec. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amie below.

Amie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a story with us from back when you were an intern or apprentice? Maybe it’s a story that illustrates an important lesson you learned or maybe it’s a just a story that makes you laugh (or cry)? Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style.

I started a business called Perspective Cellars, which is a wine tasting room in downtown Fredericksburg, Texas. I loved offering education about wine and helping customers explore the world of wine. After a few years, I thought my next step should be learning to make wine. I knew I could take classes, but I also knew the best way to truly understand would be to get my hands dirty. My friend, Michael Barton, is the head winemaker at the local Hilmy Cellars and I liked his style of wines and his general understanding of wines. I asked if I could work as his unpaid intern during the harvest season in 2021 and surprisingly, he agreed. It was hard work and I truly had no idea how much I didn’t know until I jumped in and started working. There are little things that seem so simple to a winemaker, like the easiest way to move a hose or connect a C-clamp or clean a tank or move a barrel. These are all activities that happen nearly every day in the winery, and it becomes second nature. But when you don’t know, it all seems impossible. I have so much pride when I see a 2021 Hilmy Wine because I had a hand in making those wines. Anyone who thinks they want to go to school to learn winemaking, or they want to own a winery, or they just want to understand wine better, these people all benefit from working a harvest at a local winery. You can learn from reading books and taking classes, but you don’t really know what you’re getting into until you are in the thick of things. Find a mentor, be willing to work hard, ask questions, and learn on the job before you start taking classes. It’s the best path to a clear vision as to whether winemaking is for you. I did take classes and I have read a ton of books. But if not for the help of my friend and mentor, my knowledge wouldn’t be where it is now and I am not sure if I can ever repay Michael for his help.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Nearly 20 years ago, my husband and I started to learn about wine. It wasn’t about just picking up a bottle when grocery shopping and drinking it. We started to ask about wine before purchasing, then digging online to learn about the producer, the region, and the grape. All this while working in healthcare to build his young practice. Eventually, I began offering fun evenings with friends where I would teach them what I had learned about different wines. We traveled to learn more about wine regions. And finally, I took my first Sommelier exam, just to see if I could pass. It was so fun, and I passed. We kept learning about wine and in 2017, we jumped all-in with wine and opened a wine shop. As time went on, I was drawn deeper into the world of wine and started writing articles about wine. I wanted to learn how to make wine myself. I ultimately sold the wine shop, enrolled in winemaking courses, and began an internship to gain a deeper understanding. I began writing a book about wine and even traveled outside of Texas to work in Sonoma, California. At the beginning of 2023, I had the opportunity to help grow the wine industry in Texas by becoming the co-owner of Texas Wine Lover. The website TXwinelover.com was started 12 years before by Jeff Cope as a passion project. He added a mobile app and was in need of some help to expand the reach of the platforms. The goal is to provide information on all 510 wineries located across the state and make it easier for consumers to discover Texas wines. I get to help small business owners by sharing the story of their wineries. I keep reading and studying and learning all things wine. I help local wineries in their vineyards and work in the cellar where I’m needed. I write about wine and will have my book published by the end of 2023. And I get to share wine with fellow wine lovers. I love what I do and the people I’ve met in the wine industry.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My husband is a cosmetic and reconstructive dentist and sustained an injury when a sink hole opened up underneath him on a golf course in Florida. He was 41 and ultimately the fall lead to irreversible nerve damage that lead to early retirement. We had to sell the dental practice and pivot to something new for our future. Due to his pain, recovery from spinal surgery, and depression from the loss of his career, I needed to find a new career for us. We not only needed income, we needed a new focus and something new to build together. I looked to our shared hobby of learning and studying wine and created a business concept for a wine tasting room to offer education and comparative tastings. Today, six years after his retirement, we are living a full life with less stress and more focus on personal health and daily enjoyment.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Jeff Cope began travling the state to discover Texas wines in 2011. As a way to keep track of the wineries he visitied, he started a blog and shared his experiences. The following year, he began cateloging every winery in the state with details about the founders, the property, and the wines. TXwinelover.com gained traction and before he knew it, he was maintaining a website as the go-to resource for consumers to learn about all things related to Texas wines. I began writing articles for his website to help supply wine education. In 2022, the addition of a mobile app had a rapid growth path that Jeff didn’t feel he could maintain on his own as asked if I would be interested in joining him as equal partners in the business. I love helping wineries around the state to gain exposure and grow.    

Contact Info:

• Website: Txwinelover.com
• Instagram: @TexasWineLover
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TXWineLover
• Twitter: @TXWineLover