Quarantwine Q&A with amanda

This week’s staff spotlight highlights our wonderful Tasting Room Associate, Amanda! Amanda recently joined our team this past February and she has been a bright light in our lives ever since. Before becoming part of the Penns Woods family, Amanda worked at a winery in Mexico called Finca Sala Vivé by Freixenet México for 14 years. She moved to the US in November 2014 and became an American Citizen in August 2019! Amanda tells us often that she is proud to be an American citizen and we all feel lucky that she it too! Here is a little Q&A to get to know more about Amanda from her life before Penns Woods and currently with our team. 

Q: What were some of your favorite parts about your job at the winery in Mexico?
A: I loved leading the wine tour group to the winery facilities, describing the wine process of Methode Champenoise (which is a method of making sparkling wine by allowing the last stage of fermentation to take place in the bottle; the specialty of her winery). I enjoyed coordinating four major events each year at the winery; the Paella Festival, Harvest Festival, Local Vendor Fair and VIP "Dinner Inside the Caves". I also loved helping to export wines to Japan and Germany, as well as developing private wine labels for retailers in which I was a part of executing design label strategy and providing the customer service of multiple domestic wine brands. Finally, the best part about my job...tasting wine every day, of course!

Q: What do you miss most about Mexico?
A: I miss the food, my family, my friends, former coworkers and the weather. Although, now I have a new family and amazing coworkers in Penns Woods Winery. I enjoy the freedom in America, the amazing wines, nature, the birds, the people, the history, and the culture. I enjoy listening to the National Anthem and the pride with which people defend America.  ​

Q: How did you and your husband meet?
A: I met my husband, who is from Pennsylvania, in 2010 in a small town in Mexico close to the winery where I used to work. The following week he called me and asked if I could give him a wine tour. That same day, he popped in the winery and I gave him his tour, and since then we fell in love with each other. I love him so much.

Q: What is your favorite wine? Is your wine of choice right now different? 
​A: I love white wines, especially sparkling wines made through Methode Champenoise, brut or brut nature, and Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite grape. I also enjoy red wines, especially Pinot Noirs.  PWW Pinot Grigio now is part of my favorite wines as is the new Brut Rose! This quarantine has allowed me to relax and enjoy the time spent pairing wine with my meals while enjoying the company of my husband.

Q: Recently, have you been cooking or doing delivery? 
A: I am cooking every day but I am not as good as my husband because he is a Chef...he is the expert! He cooked a southern style salmon topped with apple slices that was marinated with drops of lemon, accompanied by delicious asparagus and white rice. We paired the dish with PW Pinot Grigio 2018. The lemon with the apples makes the tropical fruits in the wine pop, while the southern style salmon balances the acidity of the wine- just delicious. I also made a similar pairing when I cooked my traditional Salmon seasoned with black pepper, salt and Cajun spices, accompanied with spinach salad, dressing with olive oil and lemon served with spaghetti. The Pinot Grigio paired very similarly as the lemon and the spinach, boosting the tropical notes, while the combination of the tropical fruits and the acidity balances the zippy Cajun spices of the salmon.Yummy!!

Q: What hobbies have you enjoyed during quarantine?
A: I am working out every day at home with a virtual gym, reading the book “Wine Trails United States & Canada” (BTW Penns Woods is in pg.# 208), and social distancing at Waterloo Mills Preserve. I love nature, watching birds, walking, and taking outdoor pictures. When I was working at the winery in Mexico, after having lunch, I used to walk for a bit every day in the vineyard with my best friend. I loved walking through the vineyard and looking at the birds flying around (as I still do). We used to watch a red bird that we call in Mexico “Petit Rojo” which means “Small Red”. At the vineyards of Mexico Queretaro Region, it is very common to see that bird flying over the vineyards, so every time when I see a red bird in the vineyards, it reminds me of those days walking with my best friend. In fact, recently all the wineries from Mexico Queretaro Region made a project of sparkling wine that will represent them, named “Q Wine”, but the funny part is, they included on the label design the red bird! 

Q: What is one positive message you want to share with our beloved customers?
A: This is a reflection time to appreciate the things that are around us, like nature, the sun, and our freedom. Also, spending time with our loved ones has aided in the ability to have deeper conversations that we normally do not have the time to discuss in our normal routines. We are going to overcome this together!!