North Bay Woman

Arkansas. "I fell in love with the lifestyle, the people and the land," she says. "It took 16 years to finally make my way back." While Stem arrived at PRESS with a deep understanding of Napa Valley wines, she needed to quickly gain an intimate knowl- edge of the restaurant's massive list. Fortunately, she had help. "There are two other sommeliers here – Kelli White and Scott Brenner – who are amazing," Stem says. "They have truly accelerated my knowledge and skills in this profession." Because the wine list is updated daily, there are always new bottles to sample. "We taste everything we open," she says, "so we get lots of experience learning what (each vintage) is supposed to taste like." For wines she hasn't yet tried, "It's like putting pieces of a puzzle together," based on each wine's vintage, vineyard, winemaker and house style. In addition to tasting fabulous wines, a typical day for Stem involves meticulous preparation for the evening ahead. When arriving for a shift, around 4 p.m., she puts away newly arrived wines, checks reserva- tions, makes sure wines are ready for special parties and updates the wine list – which is delivered to customers via iPads. Once the restaurant opens, Stem and her fellow somms hit the floor. "We walk around and look for people who might have that scared look in their eye," Stem explains. "Then we gently walk up to people and ask them if they need help or guidance with the wine list, walk them through it, talk about our program. We open, taste and pour all the wine for them." As "the human version of the wine list," Stem says her goal is to help guests find just the right wine, at the right price. She also strives to make people feel comfortable. "The first thing I do when I walk up to a table is make sure that I have a really relaxed, warm and welcoming approach," she says. "I don't want people to feel intimidated by wine. I think that wine is a life enhancer – it's all joy." When asked to name aspects of the job that aren't so glamorous, Stem draws a blank. "It's really a great job," she says. "We are literally bearing gifts of wine! People are always happy to see us." However, she does admit that not every customer is easy to deal with. "In any hos- pitality job there are challenges with certain guests, and people can be difficult at times," she says. Occasionally, for example, a male guest will raise an eyebrow at being approached by a female sommelier. "Without question there's the 'distinguished gentleman' who comes into the restaurant and is looking for a male somm to come up to the table in a suit and tie," she says. But with a combination of confidence and charm, she is usually able to win him over. "It's amazing how a distinguished gentleman can all of a sudden not want the guy in the tux selling him the wine." What Stem enjoys most about her job, she says, is pleasing people. "I know that sounds Victorian or something, but I really like making people happy, it brings joy to me when I can create a great experience or memory for someone else." > Angela Stem looks over the displayed inventory at PRESS steakhouse in St. Helena – Photo by Stuart Lirette. F A L L 2 0 1 4 | NORTH BAY WOMAN 55

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