If you enter our tasting room, you are usually greeted by a Hackett family member, as though you are stepping right into our own home. You immediately feel welcome and yet, you also get the sense that there is something special in store for you here, an element of surprise that immediately plants a seed of intrigue. You grab a couch, order a tasting and charcuterie board, and quickly make friends with the couple to your left lounging in an adjacent couch. While doing so, a gentleman walks across the room, pulls a guitar off the wall and proceeds to serenade the room with an outstanding rendition of Norwegian Wood by the Beatles – one of your all-time favorites. Each wine impresses you more and more and finally when asked, which is your favorite, you simply can’t choose one because you love them all. The vibe, the music, the conversation, the company – all is in perfect harmony, and in this moment, you are overcome with gratitude that you get to enjoy this experience with those around you. “It’s just another day at Spicy Vines”, as we like to call it. This is a place where magic happens.

I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to curate such an inclusive, creative, and welcoming space as Spicy Vines. Our wines are awesome, thanks to my husband and winemaker, Doug, and our vibe is a pure and authentic representation of who we are and what we stand for – quality and creativity expressed through our wines, community, and experiences. I am reminded each time I walk into the tasting room of why I was so hell-bent on following my passion into the wine industry in the first place. This place we call Spicy Vines would not be in existence today had I not grabbed onto my silly and rather ambitious dreams by the horns and ran with them.

My journey to where I am today has been uniquely my own. It has been challenging, beautiful, insightful, and humbling. Navigating the challenges of starting a business as a young woman, particularly in a male dominated industry with professionals nearly twice my age, has been no easy feat. The wine and service industries can be challenging and require many hats, especially if you are small. You must learn to be nimble, adaptive and above all, know to put your customer first. I have learned to get up from my mistakes, take good advice when given, and most of all, listen to my intuition – a secret weapon that I believe all women instinctually have, but often don’t use enough.

My advice for any women reading this, especially if you may be tinkering with the idea of starting a venture of your own; go for it. Your industry needs and deserves your special touch and positive change, the change that only you can make. No matter how silly the idea, how daunting the challenge, how old, young, or unequipped you may feel, or how competitive the landscape may be. If you have something to offer to others, it is your job to create it. I promise, when you step back and see the fruits of your work years from now, you will be rewarded beyond belief.