rick toyota
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Article for Journal Plus magazine, Published March 2011TRANSCRIPT
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
[email protected] or call
(805) 226.4878
An example of RIck's Photography
Rex Hill Vineyards in Oregon, where Rick worked