Susan Hoff: from Corporate Leader to Wine Proprietress
Susan Hoff’s journey is a captivating narrative of entrepreneurial prowess and diversification. From spearheading Fantesca Estate & Winery in the picturesque Napa Valley to wielding influence through her acclaimed fitness blog, she has emerged as a beacon of multifaceted success. Transitioning seamlessly from the fast-paced realm of consumer electronics to the tranquil vineyards of Napa and the vibrant landscape of fitness blogging, Susan’s entrepreneurial spirit beats at the core of her endeavors
What motivated your transition from a successful corporate career to entrepreneurship in the wine and fitness industries?
I’m entrepreneurial at heart. I started my career working for a six store electronics company called Sound of Music. We didn’t think of ourselves as a “Start Up”, we were just trying to grow!
As in any small business, every employee is expected to perform many roles. I worked there throughout college, the first 25 years of my marriage, and raised two children as we grew and expanded internationally. It’s now known as the juggernaut electronics retailer Best Buy (NYSE: BBY).
After a 30 year career with the company, I had climbed the corporate ladder to become their Chief Communications Officer. I directed the Public, Investor, Community & Internal Communications, created the Public & Government Affairs team as well as founded their non-profit Best Buy (Children’s) Foundation.
Leading teams through international growth, the addition of hundreds of stores and new consumer concepts, promoting cutting edge tech products, presenting to audiences and working with constituents and local communities comes natural and gives me energy.
I enjoy working with smart, driven personalities to create something special. Upon exiting the corporate life in my early 40’s, I dedicated time for self improvement, my family and applying my business and branding skills to the world of wine and the fitness industry.
Oath & Grind, my fitness blog www.OathandGrind.com was designed to help busy women extend success in their business and family lives to their own self care and goals.
I invested most of my youth to help grow an American Fortune 500 company, so I wanted the second half of my life to be equally as fulfilling pursuing other interests. My weekly O/G blog contains workouts, recipes, travel tips, fashion finds, and often simple quick to read longevity tips. It’s gained popularity among younger women starting their careers as well as established business women juggling the commitments in their lives. For some reason, quite a few men seem to like O/G as well!
Building Fantesca Estate & Winery came from a passion to build something lasting and loved for many generations. It’s something my husband and I wanted to do with our children, and hopefully our grandchildren. It’s what French Grand Cru Houses have been doing for centuries. America is still very young in the wine industry. Fantesca is only 20 years old, but already our daughter is involved in driving it after growing up in Napa Valley, graduating in Viticulture & Enology from University of California – Davis and traveling the globe to make wine. We’re happy she returned to the USA to share her talents with us.
How did your passion for the wine business begin?
Over a glass of wine! My husband and I would enjoy a thoughtful reprieve after our kids went to bed, the dinner dishes were cleaned and an extended day of meetings at the office were over. It was the hour we’d share at night talking about the events of the day. Both my husband & I traveled often for work, usually on opposite coasts. Sometimes if he was in San Francisco, I’d fly out to meet him over a weekend and we’d visit Napa Valley. We found ourselves dreaming of someday opening a winery after our children went off to college. I loved my role at Best Buy and worked my life to get where I was, I wasn’t in a hurry to leave it behind. But as with anything in life as an entrepreneur knows, the world turns and you need to make decisions before you are ready.
In 2001, my life was turned upside down. I was diagnosed with Lupus, my mother died suddenly at age 60 after a short fight with cancer, and three months later the United States was devastated by the events of 9/11. No one knew what was next, business was difficult, mentors and colleagues I had known since I started in business vanished with the World Trade Center in New York City. I endeavored to help my children, my father, and my siblings cope with the loss while assisting Best Buy through the changes. It was then I knew if my world was going to change abruptly, I wanted it to be on my own terms doing something I loved.
We started looking for vineyard properties. It took a few years to find just the right place and in February of 2004, we acquired a vineyard and started Fantesca Estate & Winery. My husband quit his job to run it and I continued my work at Best Buy to cover the start up costs wineries incur.
Tell us about your winery, the vineyard, and what visitors can see when visiting your unique estate?
Fantesca Estate & Winery is a boutique, family-owned estate tucked away in the rolling hills of Spring Mountain in St. Helena, California. My husband and I purchased the property on February 13, 2004. We like to say it was a Valentine’s Day gift to each other.
We’re blessed to work with some of the best names in Napa Valley, including Heidi Barrett, Tony Arcudi, and DLynn Proctor. Their expertise has allowed us to craft wines we can be proud of, reflecting the highest standards of quality. When guests visit our winery, they can take in stunning Spring Mountain views overlooking Napa Valley and discover our wine cave that houses our French oak wine barrels. When guests enter our gates, we want them to feel as if they own the property.
What wine do you like best and why? Tell us what dinner formats featuring wine you prefer?
It truly depends on where I am, what I’m eating, and with whom I’m enjoying it. As much as I favor Napa wines, I order the local varietals of the place I am visiting. The food is meant to be paired with it, so why shelter your palate from the full culinary experience. However, I prefer Champagne anytime and anywhere I am in the world – night & day, it’s good all alone or paired with extraordinary meals. It’s the ultimate treat for me. I enjoy Chardonnay (especially White Burgundy) or Rosé by the pool on a warm afternoon or when dining on white fish or fowl. A Pinot Noir paired with wild game or dark chocolate.
Sometimes I crave a red sauce pasta paired with an Italian Sangiovese, a classic Chianti or baby Brunello. As someone who doesn’t eat a lot of red meat, when I do, I appreciate a glass of iconic Cabernet with an indulgent steak. Frankly, I’d feel cheated if I didn’t have a glass of wine with dinner.
In short, there’s a finesse to food and wine pairings, bright acidity or tannins in wines can balance out the fat and proteins of a dish to create magic when pairings are done well. Everyone’s palates are shaped throughout their lives by the diet they consume. Honestly, I try not to be judgy – I encourage friends to drink what they like with people they enjoy.
Do you think that it is better not to store wine in collections, but to share it with friends?
To echo a sentiment that’s become a cornerstone of the Fantesca philosophy: “We believe great wine isn’t a trophy to collect, but a treasure to be shared with friends and family.” We appreciate a finely aged wine, but we celebrate collectors who know when it’s time to pull a cork and share that experience with those closest to them. I can’t help but think back on all the times I’ve seen Fantesca on holiday dining tables, wedding celebrations, and moments of accomplishment. To know that in some of the most joyous moments of people’s lives our wine has been chosen to celebrate with, it reminds me why we started this wonderful adventure so long ago.
Share your secret, how can you tell the origin of a wine through its taste, and what special accolades does the wine of your region have?
I look at each bottle of wine as a time capsule of what has transpired in the region that year. It smells and tastes like the weather, the winemaker’s touch and the terroir it was grown in. It’s what makes wine a luxury around the world. It emanates the place of origin and the time it was made. When you get to know wine, enjoying a bottle is like traveling to these places without dragging your suitcase.
Identifying wine characteristics can be as simple or complex as you make it. At Fantesca, we currently produce four wines we call ‘The Fantesca Collection.’ Within the collection, we craft a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that come from three of the most championed vineyards from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. On the other side of the wine spectrum, we craft a Cabernet Blend from a small selection of vineyards primarily on the eastern mountains of Napa Valley in contrast to our Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, which is single vineyard wine from our land on Spring Mountain—the western mountain range of Napa Valley.
With four unique wines representing different grape varietals and terroirs—and crafted by world-class winemakers Heidi Barrett and Tony Arcudi—each wine represents the region’s distinct terroir. At the end of the day, I’d encourage your readers to visit Napa Valley and taste our craft firsthand.
Is it difficult to be a beautiful, successful woman in a male-dominated business?
What a thoughtful question wrapped in a compliment! Honestly, it’s more challenging than difficult. If anything, beauty and talent are underestimated which, of course, can become a nice competitive advantage. After working in the male dominated consumer electronics industry, I am pleased the wine business appreciates the diverse talents women bring to the industry. Crafting world class wines requires a finely tuned palate, attention to detail, and storytelling with a passion to share great food, wine, and experiences. Of course women thrive here!
Even our winery name is in honor of the only female character in Commedia Dell’arte who was ahead of her time. A beautiful, sage communicator who oftentimes drove the plot of her troupe’s performance. Back in a time when only men were allowed on stage in England and performed women’s roles, La Fantesca was a storied beautiful woman ahead of her time who held her own through the Italian countryside as the only character without a mask to show off her beauty and work her charms. She was often described as sexy, smart and unpretentious. Those are ideals we aspire to with the wine. Her fiery red signature signifies our brand today.
Let’s talk about your shoot for the Times Riviera cover, tell us how it went? How did you choose the location?
One of my favorite photographers to work with, Sarah Lyons Glabman, hand selected all of the sites to best represent the fashionable outfits the stylist selected. Weather, lighting and distance between locations are always important factors. Since her team didn’t have a full week for the shoot to travel to the south of France, the meticulously groomed gardens of Arizona provided the most options to create images befitting the Times Riviera.
Your outfits are impeccable during the shoot! Tell us what style appeals to you most, and if you have any favorite designer brands?
I’ve been interviewed for and featured in fitness, business and men’s magazines. Glamour magazines are a treat to pose for. I enjoy the fashion world and the many iconic brands that walk the runway. I’m a regular in Milan, Paris and New York fashion week events and have even enjoyed Alexander McQueen’s shows in London when travel permits. Not unlike our winery’s namesake, I love styles that are unapologetically female with beautiful lines, close fitting fabrics that show off my curves and the physique I’ve worked so hard for. Right now my “go to” wardrobe consists of Versace, Balmain, Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. I also love Alexander McQueen paired with little nothings from Agent Provocateur for a romantic night out.
It’s not for nothing that you are one of the popular fitness bloggers in the United States with your IG platform @OathandGrind. Share the secrets of your ideal body, and how you have achieved it.
At fifty-nine, it’s about everything, all the time. The clock keeps ticking and I have to as well. I work out six days a week in the gym and research the latest and greatest new health initiatives that continue to help me with my physique.
After losing my mother at age 60, I know birthdays are a blessing. I am passionate in pursuing my fitness and fashion goals and want to inspire women of every age to do the same.
It has been a blessing this year that magazines and even the runway are featuring stunning older models to help inspire their audiences. It’s a great time to be a “well seasoned” model!
What do you like most about working out?
It’s the one “meeting” I keep with myself and won’t reschedule. It’s the one place in my life I fully control the outcome. I enjoy the challenge and the adrenaline I feel after a tough gym workout. For me, lifting weights is a release from the other daily stresses in life. I feel better physically and mentally after a lift. It sets the mode for the day. I’ve been lifting for nearly 16 years, 6 days a week with the same strength coach, Donavan Almond, Founder of Calistoga Fit (Calistogafit.com). He has helped me stay healthy and workout through injuries to enable me to make progress and stay active. I’d give up a lot of things in this life, but lifting is non-negotiable. It’s how Oath & Grind was born – An Oath is a promise you make to yourself, Grind is what is required to make your Oath a reality. Gym time is the Grind to build a beautiful & functional physique as I age. So actually, my Oath divided by the Grind equals success, happiness, and longevity. What’s yours?
Are there any peaks that you would still like to achieve?
Oh my! Absolutely there is more to accomplish in the second half of my life. It would be fun to walk the runway in Paris, be featured in Vogue, and mentor my grandchildren to be entrepreneurial and chase their dreams.
Let’s talk about travel. Share the top 3 places you would definitely like to return to?
I’m fortunate to travel the world through both my wine education and business. I graduated with my MBA from KEDGE – formerly the Bordeaux Business School in France in 2007 where I studied in Bordeaux, France; Santiago, Chile; Adelaide, Australia; and UC Davis in California, USA. But I find there are some awe inspiring places if you are lucky enough to visit once in a lifetime, I recommend you make it happen.
Here are my top three places for personal reasons:
No. 3, France, specifically Paris. The food, fashion, fragrances, architecture, history, wine and lifestyle are mesmerizing. Every arrondissement has its specialty. It’s an extraordinary city with a deep soul.
No 2, would be on Safari w/Micato private tours in Africa. Seeing animals you’ve only witnessed in a zoo, race across the Serengeti at sunrise is a sight like no other. And my…No. 1 all time favorite escape is The Brando, an exotic resort on Tetiaroa, in French Polynesia accessible only by private plane. This I can not explain. It’s romance and awe rolled into one.
Credits:
Photography/retouching by Sarah Lyons Glabman @EpicDestinationShoot
Wardrobe styling : @JoeyRolon
Hair and makeup: @LeiahScheibel