Eddie Zavestoski | Tasting Room Sales Lead

Bio: Originally from San Diego with a background in history (I have a degree from UC Irvine), I applied my ability to memorize random facts and dates to wine and began to learn all I could about grapes and wine regions even before I could legally buy bottles myself. I took a few classes, received my sommelier certification, and essentially learned how to handle the curves of a bottle. Then, one day back in 2010, I was minding my own business in the sunny confines of Southern California when the unmistakable call of Pinot Noir hit me and I knew I had to leave California behind and find my fortune in the Willamette Valley. I’m incredibly happy to be living in Portland with its abundance of good food and good people and even happier to be working in the tasting room at Sokol Blosser where I get to work with my passion every day!

Hobbies:I spend most of my free time cooking and experimenting in the kitchen (and using the rest of the staff as guinea pigs for my creations) but I also enjoy writing and reading anything that catches my fancy.

What you like about Pinot Noir:Its variation: give the same grapes to five different winemakers and you’ll end up with five completely different wines. Or, give the same winemaker grapes from five different areas and you’ll still end up with five different wines. I think of Pinot as the ultimate “people’s wine”; there’s a Pinot for everybody out there, you just have to search it out.

Favorite Food:I keep an open mind about food and I’ll try nearly anything once, so it’s hard to pin down a specific food or cuisine that I enjoy when it changes so often. One week I might be really into one country’s cuisine, next week from another country on the other side of the world.

Place you’d like to travel to:Europe. Nowhere in particular, just to bum around for a bit. I hear the wine’s decent.

Favorite drink besides wine:If you follow me around the tasting room you’ll notice that I drink copious amounts of coffee. Other than that I’ve been known to partake in one of the many fine locally-brewed beers or a classic cocktail every now and then.