Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Erpelding.
Hi Nikki, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
A passion for wine begins with an aha moment, when… for the first time you taste something extraordinary. From there, everyone’s path is different. I started my first career on the hospitality side, managing restaurants. It was when I was the GM at Five Restaurant, that I knew I had to level up my knowledge. By default, most restaurant managers acquire the wine list, so it was my duty to craft an attractive wine list that matched the Chef’s cuisine. This was exciting, I was able to meet with distributor reps, taste wines and learn the stories behind them. I was hooked, I went to school for 1 semester at Saint Paul College to earn my Wine Professional Certificate in 2006. It was a new certification started by Gail Balego, a Chef instructor. The only other wine course option at the time locally, was ISG.
The Wine Professional Certificate made me much more confident, the course included wine list and wine dinner menu creation, service, food and wine pairing, wine marketing and major wine regions of the world.
The Next Chapter… was Distributor rep, then retail, Supplier rep and now my full-time position is Director of Retail Sales for Top Ten Liquors.
Now to the wine education timeline…
While I was managing a retail store, I received a call in 2011 from Professor Gail Balego, she was going to retire and would like me to take over the program. I was delighted and frightened at the same time. It was a very quick turnaround, so my first semester teaching was quite the trial by fire. I had 13 students in my first semester, and some of these graduates are still great friends today!
Spring semester of 2012 was when I met Lisa, my future partner in wine, she was recently retired from Northwest Airlines and was taking all sorts of classes to see what her next path might be but really the wine course was just for fun. Lisa was hooked and she reached out to see if I needed a TA. Lisa really grew into the TA position over the next several years and started taking additional wine courses, and I soon joined her.
After Lisa and I took WSET (Wines & Spirits Education Trust) level 3 in 2013, we knew we wanted to bring the WSET Global Certification to Minnesota.
We started down our Diploma path but in the middle of it, we had a chance to take the WSET Educator course required to be an approved program provider to start our school. We thought this might be a good way to earn a little extra money to fund our expensive new wine education habit and finish our diploma. Little did we know it involved so much! Luckily, we did not need a brick-and-mortar location, we could teach classes at Saint Paul College! Our school, Vine Lab Wine & Spirits Academy isn’t really a money maker, it is a passion project. Vine Lab is 5 years old this year, we have added several new certifications, including Wine Scholar Guild Courses and Sake Certification.
Last year Lisa decided to pull out as partner but has stayed on as an instructor. I am proud to say, I now have 9 instructors and besides our certification courses, we can do just about any custom class or event imagined. We are also excited to be offering WSET level 3 Award in Wines this summer.
We started out, just teaching around 40 people a year to over 80 now and pleased to say 2021 had a 100% pass rate!
I really like the mentoring part of my position at Vine Lab, it is very rewarding indeed! There is really nothing like this business, always something to learn, new people to meet, places to travel.
If I can sum up this 16-year journey, it would be, I forged a very personal and passionate path of discovery that included the very best people, places, and beverage in the world!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Work/Study/Life balance. Just like wine, the most important thing is to be balanced.
Failing, ugh, failing an exam is just demoralizing but you have to get back on that horse and forge on.
On the education side of my career, I have always been the mentor and have never had someone to mentor me, luckily there are now a few in the Twin Cities that I can call upon.
Losing my partner Lisa in the business was difficult, mainly because I didn’t want to give up on the business and it was hard to see the future without her at my side.
Covid, the first year, 2020, was extremely difficult for us because online was not ideal, our classes are much better in person.
As you know, we’re big fans of Top Ten Liquors. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am the Director of Retail Sales at Top Ten Liquors – 12 locations.
This is a locally owned Chain that specializes in Great products/selection at a Value. We pride ourselves in developing and investing in our people, having a social conscience and meeting our guests in the aisles to give excellent recommendations. The investing in our people part, is my favorite, we get to offer double tuition reimbursement for certification courses and provide all sorts of other development opportunities to our employees.
Brand wise, we have some outstanding local connections for spirits, beer and wines and our Sr. Wine Buyer and Spirits buyer do an outstanding job sourcing amazing wines and spirits from all over the country and world. It makes it easy for me to develop training programs surrounding these outstanding selections.
As we grow, with new retail stores and concepts including a new wine bar in Minnetonka, coming late summer, called Wineside, we will continue to invest in the education of our staff, to deliver a curated experience every time you shop.
Of course, we conduct tastings and seminars, a great way to be introduced to intimidating products from around the globe.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Wine doesn’t have to be intimidating, drink what you like but explore what’s out there. Learning just a little bit will enhance your enjoyment – guaranteed!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.vinelabwine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinelabwine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wineowirl/
- Other: https://toptenliquors.com/
Image Credits
image credit: Quincy St. Kitchen https://www.quincystreetkitchen.com/about-us Kristen Olson
