As the full-time winemaker here at Far Niente as well as a wife and mom to two boys, Winemaker Nicole Marchesi has found that balancing the myriad roles and parts of her world requires an expertise in organization and precision as well as an acceptance that chaos is an inevitability.
As Mother's Day approaches, we asked Nicole to talk about motherhood, making wine, the women who have influenced her in both arenas and how she plans to celebrate Mother's Day this year. She weighs in below...
Name the most influential women in your life, personally and professionally. How do they inspire you?
Personally, the most influential women in my life have been my grandmothers, mother and sister. They have all taught me what it means to give and receive unconditional love.
In my professional life, Ashley Heisey has been profoundly influential. She is incredibly smart and 100-percent professional; we have insightful conversations about winemaking that often leave me feeling even more curious and excited about my job.
You are a highly regarded wine professionals as well as a mom. How do you juggle it/find the balance?
I have an amazing husband! It’s not easy, but we’ve worked together as true partners to make sure we have time for our kids, time for ourselves and time for each other. Plus, our parents help us a lot. It definitely takes a village!
What is the best gift you’ve ever received for Mother’s Day? What made it so extraordinary?
I love all the handmade gifts that my kids have given me, especially ones with their hand prints. It’s crazy how quickly they grow, so looking back and seeing their tiny hand prints reminds me of when they were so little.
What is the best thing your kids could say about you as a working mom?
Well, they’ve actually made up songs about my job with lines like “We love Far Niente! Mom puts wine in the bottle! She sometimes takes us there at harvest. We love drinking grape juice!”
Sometimes, it’s really hard that I can’t always be the one to take them to school or pick them up, but they know that it’s important for our family that I work. And, although they may not recognize it as such, their pride in what I do shows up in unexpected moments. We recently saw a bottle of Far Niente Chardonnay in a local store and they both recognized it immediately and exclaimed, “Mom! That’s your wine!” They were both grinning and pointing and clearly excited to see something that "Mom had made" proudly displayed on the store shelf.
How will you most likely celebrate Mom’s Day this year? Will there be wine?!?
If the weather cooperates, we'll spend the day outdoors together. Maybe hiking and picnic? And definitely Far Niente Chardonnay!
We hope the weather cooperates for Nicole and her family. And, if alfresco picnics or a Chardonnay brunch is on your agenda this year, we hope you'll say thank you, gather together, pull the cork and raise a glass to the phenomenal women in your life with extraordinary Mother's Day Wines!
