Student Spotlight

For many of us wine appreciation means relaxing over dinner and having someone else choose the wine, dashing into a shop for that bottle of wine closest to the door, or choosing a wine with a really funky label. For Jared M. Skolnick, a student in the Flex-Time Program who received his MBA in June 2008 from Baruch College, wine is a joyful and complicated avocation that is fast becoming a serious business venture.

Jared and his wife Tracy Ellen Kamens approach their love of wine with the dedication of scholars, teaching the history and art of wine to visitors at their renovated barn in Mattituck, on Long Island’s North Fork. As Jared tells it Tracy is the CEO “Chief Education Officer” and Jared is COO, “Chief Cork Opening Officer” of their enterprise Grand Cru Classes.

Each weekend, from April through November, Jared and Tracy offer “From Vine to Wine” seminars that delve into the why and how of wine, the major wine classifications, why soil is important and oak barrels matter, why sampling wine in its natural setting is a key element to understanding wine. Jared cultivates a small teaching vineyard next to the barn. Until this vineyard bears fruit (usually after four years) Jared is making basement wine with the help of a neighbor’s grapes. Jared works full-time in on-line advertising and was still a part-time student when he added farmer and winemaker to his resume.

The climate on the North Fork is similar to that of Bordeaux, France. From Baruch to “Bordeaux” was not that long a trip. In hindsight, writing a business plan was the easy first step. But keeping to the core plan and staying focused were major challenges. Jared invested in a former goat farm on the North Fork in 2004, and spent the first year converting manure and mud to vines and grass. With help from family and friends (a friend gladly designed the web site in exchange for wine) and support from the business community, Grand Cru Classes was launched in 2006. The North Fork retains a small town feel where local businesses are quick to support each other. The only professional help Jared sought was from an accountant.

What began with public wine classes now includes customized private events, synergies with local bed and breakfast establishments, gift certificates, merchandise and an evolving series of seminars. Jared expects to engage in home wine-making within the next few years and possibly commercial wine making in the long term. As to lessons learned, Jared emphasizes the importance of understanding the basic premise of a business before taking it in new directions. Marketing the business is a particular challenge and Jared is putting his experience in on-line advertising to good use.

Grand Cru Classes is still an avocation for Jared. The business is receiving positive national press and the bottom-line is holding. Whether or not the venture expands is not as important for Jared and Tracy right now as being part of a community that shares their passion for wine. A careful look at the web site for Grand Cru Classes tells you just how much Jared and Tracy are committed to the North Fork and to wine culture and education.

Jared, President and co-founder of Grand Cru Classes, spent more than ten years in the hospitality industry. Tracy, Chief Education Officer and co-founder, has a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania, holds the Certified Wine Educator credential from the Society of Wine Educators, is a member of the American Wine Society, and was awarded a Diploma of Wine & Spirits through the Wine & Spirits Education Trust. Jared and Tracy have travelled extensively throughout some of the world’s great wine regions, including Napa, California, France and South Africa. Visit their web site at www.GrandCruClasses.com for more information.