Wine expert Liz Thach puts a new spin on retirement

Liz Thach has a distinguished palate. When she earned her Master of Wine title in 2011, after five years of rigorous study, she was the first woman in California to do so.

The professor at Sonoma State University, who took early retirement in her 50s after teaching for 23 years, simply cannot retire. She continues to teach classes at SSU and Stanford University, as well as write for Forbes magazine.

Thach said she agrees with author Jim Gambone who suggests baby boomers should “re-fire” rather than retire. Gambone pointed out that in the 21st century, many people will live much longer than their parents and stay healthy.

“I have been anything but idle,” Thach said. “In fact, my husband (Mike Thach) says I’m busier than ever now.”

We talked with Thach about a range of topics, including how she fell in love with wine and how she intends to travel even more.

Question: When did you first find yourself attracted to the world of wine? Was there a moment when wine first resonated with you?

Answer: It was during my undergraduate years in the Bay Area that friends and I would take day trips to Napa and Sonoma, and that’s how I fell in love with wine. I still remember the exact place. It was at Beringer, and we had just finished the cave tour and gathered for the tasting in the old mansion. I was smelling and tasting the wine, laughing with friends, looking out over the vineyards, and it hit me what a magical drink wine is. ... It was in that moment that a passion was born in me to learn about the wines of the world and to share that knowledge with others.

Q: How did you prep for the Master of Wine exam?

A: What helped me to pass the MW exam was planting our hobby vineyard of 120 pinot noir vines in 2003 on our property in the Petaluma Gap (American Viticultural Area). The vineyard taught me so much, including how to deal with issues such as powdery mildew and gophers, but also the meditative joy of suckering, harvesting and pruning a vineyard. I took home-winemaking classes at UC Davis and joined GENCO (Garage Enologists of Sonoma County) so I could learn to make wine with my husband in our garage. Doing all of this really gave me a clearer insight into all of the complexities of growing grapes and making wine, and I was able to tap into that experience when writing MW exam essays.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work with Forbes magazine?

A: In 2021, I applied for and was accepted as a new Forbes contributor to write about wine business and wine lifestyle. Forbes has a very tough interviewing process, but once you get on board, the training in journalism is very useful. Through the years, I have also written for Wine Business Monthly, Wine Spectator, Decanter, Somm Journal, Tasting Panel and other wine magazines and continue to do so.

Writing is pure joy, because it is a very creative process for me. I enjoy interviewing people, covering events, evaluating wine and then letting everything simmer in my mind for awhile, until the story emerges with its own shape and tone. I love sharing the stories of wine and all the people and elements that contribute to bringing it to life. The only challenge is now I feel overwhelmed by all of the emails that flood my inbox every day asking me to review wines and write about different wineries. With over 250,000 wine brands in the world, it can be very difficult to decide which ones to write about.

Q: You travel the world of wine. How many countries on how many continents have you traveled to in your life?

A: Now, even though I’m officially retired, I’m one of those people who will never stop learning and exploring. Another new goal is to visit 100 countries by the time I’m 80, and so far I’ve visited only 72 countries. I have 28 to go! Wish me luck.

You can reach wine writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.