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Not Just Pouring Wine

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Name: Tracy Dehn

Occupation: Tasting Room Girl at Vino Noceto

Age: 43

Hometown: Originally from Lodi, now Plymouth

Admits: Wine coolers and White Zinfandel are starter wines for a lot of people

Favorite movie quote: “Chicks dig me because I rarely wear underwear.”—Bill Murray, Stripes.


What kind of personality do you need for this job?
A natural open personality . . . and some form of comedy in your life. I’m slapstick all the way.

How important is a wine pourer to sales?
It is beyond important to have someone behind the counter that represents your product; you are the one creating the memory. Whether you are in a barn or a Bellagio-style winery, people are going to remember how they were treated and that reflects on the wine.

What’s the hardest part of your job?
Trying to please everyone, even the ones who don’t want to be pleased. If I can get them to loosen up and enjoy and just forget about what’s going on, then I don’t care if they buy a bottle of wine. I just want them to walk out and be happy and then they will tell someone else about this place.

Do you ever get tired of drinking wine?
No. I love wine. When my husband and I had our house built, we made sure we had built a cellar—it holds about 1,000 bottles of wine. I have bottles of wine my grandfather gave me and we also have the perfect 100 Bordeaux. I massage it sometimes.

What’s your wine pouring style?
It’s pretty relaxed actually. I kind of have to feel my way around [the customers] first—you gotta feel what you got out there. If you got a bunch of hecklers, you play off of them. It’s like you are on a show—you are out there and it is what you do that determines what they do. I always start with, “Where are you guys from?” and I have to see how they respond. Some people aren’t chit-chatty or they have the Napa-esque syndrome; this is when people judge the wine based on what the building looks like. But you start slow; you break it down for them. If you want a little bit of history, a little bit of education, we are glad to do it.

How do you handle cranky wine snobs?
It’s almost like they are doing it for attention. They act like they know everything about wine and you just play off that and tell them that you hope you can help them find something they are looking for. They either warm up or we can help find a place for them—you aren’t trying to make them feel stupid, but you want them to know that you aren’t just pouring wine here.

Why does a career in wine seem romantic?
It’s romantic if you don’t have to invest everything you own and then some.
I guess you can think it's romantic, with all the wine . . . and you are sitting in Tuscany drinking wine all day, eating and taking a bike ride. But that’s a fantasy.