Whitney Heleker grew up with her parents and older brother in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  It was an idyllic childhood, and after graduating from high school, she moved to Southern California to attend California Lutheran University.  After her freshman year, she took a break for four years to work in event production in Los Angeles, and subsequently relocated to Sonoma County to pursue her new dream of learning about and working in the wine industry.  Whitney graduated from SRJC’s Wine Business and Marketing program, completed a winemaking internship at Vinify, achieved Level 3 WSET certification, and now manages the tasting room for Montagne Russe.  Here’s her story.

You grew up in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho in the 90s. Can you tell us about your family and childhood experiences? Do you have any siblings?

I was very fortunate to have an “all-American” upbringing: my dad was a realtor, my mom was a teacher, and I have one amazing brother who is a couple of years older than me. I knew pretty much everyone in my school from elementary grades through high school; we all grew up together. Looking back, I realize what a fantastic place Idaho is.

Idaho is renowned for its natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities, particularly around Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Did you go to the lake often as a child? The area also has a small wine industry with about 1,500 acres of grapevines.  Did wine play a role in your family celebrations?

Lake Coeur d’Alene is the absolute highlight of an Idaho summer! The downtown scene is so much fun, being nestled right there at the lake. I went downtown all the time, and I still do whenever I visit home.

There was no wine influence on my life growing up. My parents were more of the Two-Buck Chuck type back then (lol).  But, since I developed an interest in wine in my early 20’s and began pursuing a career in it, my parents have made a total 180 with a greater appreciation of wine, often finding themselves with Montepulciano, Malbec, and local Walla Walla, Washington reds on the table. I’ve gone wine tasting with them a couple of times in Walla Walla, and my mom and I did our first mother-daughter trip to Italy, exploring the wines of Tuscany!  And of course, I take them tasting whenever they come visit me here in Sonoma County

How did you get interested in wine? 

Right after high school, I moved to the LA area. I completed one year of college at California Lutheran University, but then ended up taking a four-year detour, just living life in LA and working at a lot of events where I was exposed to the culture of wine. By the age of 21, my love of wine took over. I remember noticing how wine-drinkers were well-traveled, well-dressed, and well-spoken, and they seemed like happy and successful people with a passion for food and wine. It was very different from events that were more of a beer crowd or liquor crowd. The culture of wine was the pull that brought me to officially begin pursuing this passion.  So, at 23, I decided to leave LA and move up to Sonoma County wine country.

Vinify offered you a harvest internship a few years ago.  How did that come about? What was the experience like?  Would you ever consider winemaking as a career?

After moving to Sonoma County, I did my first wine harvest internship to explore winemaking at Vinify. I’m very glad I did that because it quickly taught me that it wasn’t for me; it’s a lot of alone time. I’m such an extrovert; I prefer being around people, which is why working in a tasting room was a natural fit for me. I love connecting with people through the passion and culture of wine. My first tasting room job was at VJB, and from there I decided to go back to school and get my Associate’s in Wine Business & Marketing at SRJC (which has an absolutely amazing wine program by the way!). I worked part-time at a wine bar all the way down in Corte Madera through those two years at the JC.

Since graduation, you’ve gone on to get additional sommelier training through the WSET program.  What was that experience like?  Do you plan to pursue the next level of certification?

I passed my WSET Level 3 two years ago. Those courses are incredibly educational, and there is so much information to digest.  I feel like I’ve forgotten so much of it already; if you don’t use it, you lose it! The majority of my wine tasting experience and knowledge focuses on California and a lot of Pinot.  But I do want to refresh it soon, so maybe WSET Level 4 will happen in the future.  One day, I’d like to own my own wine bar, and I’ll have wines from all over.  That knowledge will come in handy!

You’ve worked for Montagne Russe now for several years, setting up its tasting room at Bacchus Landing and just recently orchestrating the move to your new tasting facility in downtown Petaluma.  How difficult has it been to find the perfect location for both tasting wine and housing your record shop?

At the end of my last semester at SRJC, Kevin Bersofsky, the owner-winemaker for Montagne Russe, started coming to Zinz wine bar, where I was working.  In February 2019 he offered me a job doing some part-time work for him with Montagne Russe. It has turned into the most fulfilling job, and it’s been six and a half years! It truly has been a roller coaster ride, through Covid, and now with a tough downturn in the wine industry.  In July, we moved our tasting room to downtown Petaluma; it was the smartest move for us. We moved into the space that was previously Black Knight’s tasting room; Kevin has sourced grapes from Black Knight’s vineyard since 2015, and having that connection was serendipitous for us.  Being in the heart of downtown Petaluma–our new location–is rockin.’

Besides being a wonderful winemaker, Kevin is a very smart businessman. He continues to be a great mentor to me. I joke that he stresses me out just enough so I’m always growing as a person, but we always have fun with it. I am so grateful to have such compatibility with him; he’s a great boss. He comes into the tasting room about two times a week, and he never stops throwing ideas at the wall. He never slows down, and it keeps me on my toes (lol). And Kevin has a full-time job as a CFO at Folio in Napa, so the man works very hard. I don’t know how he does it!

Downtown Petaluma is thriving and becoming known as a wine destination with the addition of tasting rooms for Adobe Road, Brooks Note, and Montagne Russe, as well as La Dolce Vita Wine Lounge, three wine specialty retailers, and the establishment of the Petaluma Gap American Viticultural Area (AVA).  Is that what prompted the relocation of your business from Healdsburg to Petaluma?  

We are so excited to be putting down roots in Petaluma right now, at the onset of its inevitable future as the next hot wine scene in California. With the majority of our fruit coming from the Petaluma Gap, it only made sense! Plus, with a great location, more affordable rent, and less competition compared to Healdsburg, it was a no-brainer.

You are the one-woman-show behind the day-to-day operations at Montagne Russe.  How do you fit all your responsibilities—for everything from the customer experience to marketing and social media, as well as order processing and shipping—into each day?

Kevin guides the ship, and I keep it afloat!  I have always loved that I get to dip my toes into every part of running a small tasting room. I have never worked for a big wine company; I always feared being pigeonholed into one area. With Montagne Russe, I’ve gained incredible experience handling wine club, email marketing, digital content creation, social media, event production, day-to-day tastings, and operations.  There’s always a new project, and nothing ever becomes mundane. But I kid you not, now in Petaluma, it’s unsustainable, and we’ve had to hire. With the number of people coming into the tasting room each day, I don’t have as much time for computer work. That’s not the worst problem to have (lol).

Your tasting room also serves as a record shop.  We noticed that music is a big part of your life as well, with numerous concert photos on your social media pages.  What’s your favorite type of music and what are your thoughts about pairing wine with music?

Selling records really did happen organically. It was Kevin’s idea to start a record collection when we first opened the tasting room in Healdsburg.  As it grew, people asked, “Can we buy that record?”  Being an astute businessman, Kevin saw the demand and went for it. Now we have thousands of records, and it’s the coolest addition to our vibe. And it’s even better in Petaluma; this town is way more into music. I’m blown away by how many more people have record players!  Pairing music with wine only enhances the tasting experience. We stay open later, and I’ve been loving the hybridization of the educational side of being a tasting room, with the fun and social energy of a wine bar. We can be whatever the customer wants, and we change the energy of the room with the switch of a record!

I’ve learned a lot about music since we got serious about selling records, and I am connected with the 80s. I love Hall and Oates, Men at Work, The Police, The Cars, Eddie Money, and the older classics like Janis Joplin, Billy Joel, and the Beatles.  At the end of a long day, I bring it down with some jazz.

Dogs are a big deal at Montagne Russe; your tasting room is kid- and dog-friendly.  How often do your guests bring dogs?  Do you own any pets?

Music, wine, and dogs: these three things bring so much positive energy.  They are meant to be together. I have always loved dogs and wish I could have one now, but they don’t yet, quite fit with my lifestyle! One day, for sure though. How lucky I am that I get to see dogs throughout the day—we get at least a few each day, and some days up to 10! The more the merrier.