n the popular TV

series Frasier, the

brothers Crane,

trying to outdo each

other in descriptions of the wine

they were tasting, could

instantly (and precisely!) name

the particular estate where the

wine came from (not to mention

its varietal, region and vintage).

Asked to imitate that, Rick

Toyota - Director ofHospitality

at NinerWine Estates, an

experienced Sommelier and a

CertifiedWine Educator, who

served on the Board of

Directors of the Monterey Bay

Chapter ofAmerican Institute of

Wine & Food - shakes his head.

“Those boasts at Frasier’s wine

clubs are mostly

gobbledygook,” he says. “Yes,

you can develop the ability to

figure out vintage, varietal and

region, but it’s still guessing,” he

says. “Am I able to do it 100%

of the time? Not even close. I

may be right more times than I

am wrong, but there’re so many

variables.”

“Certainly, some of the things

are intrinsic to a region,” Rick

explains. “I f I have a Cabernet-

based wine from a Bordeaux

region and a Paso Robles

Cabernet, I could probably

guess which is which.” But

when you see people act as if

they can distinguish the taste of

the grape, picked on the such-

and-such slope of the such-

and-such hil l in the such-and-

such vineyard – it’s make-

believe. That never happens.”

In fact, in today’s world even

the brothers Crane might find

guessing their wines

increasingly hard to do. In the

last ten years, the wine industry

went global, with lots of wines

acquiring many universal

characteristics as a result.

Evaluating wines is a part of the

training, but it’s not the

sommeliers’ ultimate goal. Their

ski l l is in knowing the proper

wine to offer to the customers.

“Wine educators sometimes

make it sound too complicated,”

Rick admits. “All wine is just a

fermented juice.” We’ve all met

"I knew nothing

about wine when

I started"

I

WINE EDUCATOR, EXPIRIENCED SOMMELIER AND MORE

Four generations of first born daughtersof Judy's family. Judy is on the left.

BY NATASHA DALTON

servers who are more

enthral led with what they know

than with sel l ing wine off the

wine-l ist – in other words,

finding out what their cl ient

might enjoy. “We have to

remember: we’re not doing it

for ourselves,” Rick says.

“We’re doing it for the

customer, who just wants to

know whether he likes the

wine or not. I t’s as basic as it

gets.”

I t’s possible that Rick is so

aware of the customers’ needs

because his own

understanding of wines

developed over time. While

pursuing his BA in

Communications from UCLA,

he original ly considered a

career in photo-journalism.

But during his col lege years he

got a part-time job at the

Wines and Spirits Department

in Long’s Drugs, and found a

new passion. “I knew nothing

about wine when I started,” he

remembers. But the reps Rick

worked with sent him on

winery tours and pretty soon

he turned into a real wine

geek.

In his twenties, he also worked

at Disneyland, first part-time as

a Lead and Ride Operator and

then, after graduating from

college, as a manager. In

Rick’s opinion, the Disney

Management Intern Program

provided him with one of the

most extensive training one

could find.

At Disneyland he was involved

in many aspects of operations,

from the daily functioning of

the attractions to the logistics

of providing services to tens of

thousands of people coming

through the facil ity.

“In the summer months in the

mid-/late 1 980's when I worked

at Disneyland, we would see

60,000 to 70,000 people a day

- the highest concentration of

population in Orange County

at that point in time,” Rick

explains.

The Park’s popularity brought

serious responsibi l ities. During

his five years at Disneyland,

Rick had to handle some

pretty intense situations, such

as when a girl was hit by a

stray bullet, which came from

outside of the Park, or a

suicide at one of the

attractions. On the other end

of the spectrum there were

Grad Nites, with 20,000

teenagers at once descending

on the Park; emergency dri l ls

and dignitary visits - al l of

1. Rick Toyota 2. A view of Niner Winery

21

which required a well- planned

and coordinated effort.

“I t was one of the best jobs and

one of the worst jobs I ever

had,” Rick sums up. “The pay

wasn’t very good, the hours

were extremely long, but I

learned a lot, which I could carry

over to almost any job

afterwards.”

This proved to be true when

Rick joined a newly-built

Bloomingdale’s in Newport

Beach. “I was working

everything, from operations to

sales,” Rick remembers; “from

departments where you’d

expect me to be, l ike Men’s

Clothing, to managing

Cosmetics.”

I t was there that he met his

future wife, Judy, who worked at

the store as a salesperson. “I t

was one of those relationships

where people didn’t expect us to

become a couple - because

we’re so opposite, ” Rick

chuckles. Especial ly at that

time. There was a union drive

going on at the store, and while

Judy was involved with the pro-

unin group, Rick worked to

defeat it. Yet, they continued to

date. “We were fighting at work

against each other al l day long,

and then we were meeting for

dinner in the evenings,” Rick

remembers. “Neither side knew

that we were doing that. ”

“We’re polar opposites, in

politics and everything else,”

Rick admits, ” “l ike James

Carvil le and Mary Matal in. But

we don’t let these things to get

in the way. Let’s just say we’re

mature enough to work through

things that interfere.”

Meeting Judy was a life-

changing experience, and not

only because in her Rick found

the love of his l ife. I t was Judy

who pointed him towards the job

where he could combine his

knowledge of wine, high-end

retai l background and Disney

experience.

I t was the time when the famous

winemaker Robert Mondavi was

building a Wine Pavil ion for the

California Adventure Park, and

Rick, with his qualifications, was

a perfect fit for this project. By

joining it, Rick, who by then had

become a serious wine

aficionado, got an opportunity to

turn his hobby into a “cool job.”

Technical ly employed by Disney,

Rick spent the fol lowing five

years ful ly immersed into the

intricacies of the wine industry.

He joined Mr. Mondavi at a

winery in Napa, and by the time

the project was folded, Rick had

obtained extensive formal

training, got certified, and

gained valuable experience

while working first as Sales

Manager and then as

Operations Manager. Meeting

the Mondavis became a turning

point in Rick’s career. “I ’d found

my bliss and I haven’t looked

back since,” he says.

Judy fol lowed him into the

business, too. She worked with

Rick for Clos LaChance.at

Morgan Hil l , in the San Martin

area and, after moving to the

Central Coast, had poured wine

at Edna Valley.

Even though they got into wine

in a ‘round-about’ way, now it’s

something they are completely

“hooked-on.” Interestingly,

Rick’s l ife is fi l led with such

“round-about” criss-crossings.

Years before joining Mr.

Mondavi’s operations, Rick had

met him on one of his early

winery tours. He saw Judy

(without yet knowing who she

was) at a PGA Tournament - two

years prior to being introduced

to her at Bloomingdale’s! A

similar story happened with

moving to the Central Coast.

“I ’ve always been a fan of this

area,” Rick says. “My dad and I

used to come down to Cayucos

for jay hunting; we spent

Christmases in Cambria; met

with friends in Morro BayC

When I saw what they’re doing

here at the Niner, I thought it

was an opportunity of a

l ifetime.”

By now, Rick has been in the

area for a l ittle over a year, and

he’s “loving it. ” “There’s a way of

l ife here that’s very appealing,

very positive,” he says. Both his

job and his involvement with the

Economic Vital ity Corporation

where he serves on a panel

looking at agriculture and

tourism in the County, make him

feel a part of the community.

At his Hospital ity Center,

bui lding on Mr. Niner’s idea of

creating a unique vineyard

experience, Rick just rol led out

Rick Toyota

his 20-month-long wine-

education series. His Center

also offers cooking classes with

both local and celebrity chefs.

Ultimately, it’s not the snobby

Cranes, but real, no-nonsense

experts l ike Rick, who help us

find that special wine for a

perfect party.

As Mr. Mondavi would say,

“Wine by itself is simply a

beverage, food by itself is

simply nutrition, friends and

family by themselves are simply

company, but al l together they

create memories.”

To learn about events at Niner

Wine Estates, go to

www.ninerwine.com, e-mail

info@ninerwine.com or call

(805) 226.4878

An example of RIck's Photography

Rex Hill Vineyards in Oregon, where Rick worked