Fred Partridge has worked for the County of San Diego for over 27 years and he currently works in the Child Protective Services department. He stumbled into wine through leisure – going to wine bars and becoming a wine club member of the Witch Creek, Salerno and Belle Marie wineries. “It was from these wineries that I learned to appreciate wine. I began to acquire both a taste for wine and the desire to learn more about wines and its history,” he says.
He heard about the Business of Wine program from the owner at Trisler’s Wine Bar. Partridge started taking courses in 2008, and completed the certificate. In 2011, he established his own business called Wine Tips. He felt the need to start the business because several of his friends and coworkers didn’t know much about wine, and he wanted to help them. Partridge even admits to helping people he didn’t even know, “I would often times find myself helping strangers at a grocery store to purchase their wine to go with their event or meal.”
Even though he earned a certificate, Partridge continues to take Business of Wine courses – his last course was Influence of Terroir Intensive. He says, “The class was both informative and gave me additional insight into the many facets of wine, from both the growers and wine drinkers points of view. I will continue to take part and attend additional classes to gain knowledge and to complete the now higher standard requirement of nine classes to obtain a certificate. As SDSU’s motto says, ‘Never Stop Learning’. I fully agree.”
Partridge also emphasizes the importance of networking in the course, “I still remain friends with many fellow classmates and several are active in the wine industry. This is an advantage. You never know when an opportunity may present itself for you or just to help out a fellow classmate.”
