Maureen Collins got bit by the wine bug as a kid -- without ever
having a sip. While growing up in the Santa Cruz area, Collins worked
odd jobs at her friend's winery.
"I picked grapes, stomped them and did anything you could possible
do at a vineyard," she said.
Her dormant love for winemaking was reawakened in 2003 when she
realized after 22 years that the electronics industry wasn't her
calling.
"The entire time I was in semiconductor electronics, I had to
learn more about the business," Collins said. "Yet now with wine, I
want to learn more."
In 2003 she made a 360-degree career change and opened the cozy
Great Legs Wine Tasting & Boutique on the West Coast Highway along
the Mariner's Mile. At 49, she's having the time of her life, talking
and learning about wine.
"I feel like a five-year old, just sponging everything up and
loving the whole wine learning experience," Collins said.
Collins' dream boutique was complete when she was able to invite
representatives from the winery where she worked as a kid -- Bargetto
Winery -- and feature them as special guest winemakers.
Each day she meets with wine purveyors, distributors and brokers.
She has created a terrific inventory of 600 labels priced from $7.95
to $200.
Collins hosts daily wine tastings and weekly winery events. She's
also there to greet customers and ask if they're interested in
sampling wines. Her customers range from first-timers to wine
experts. Collins finds it especially rewarding talking with novices
-- fielding questions and explaining what customers are seeing,
smelling and tasting in each glass.
Great Legs specializes in California wines created in the region
from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz. Many of the labels come from small
production vineyards that yield about 700 cases a year. Collins
favors the complexities of Pinot Noir -- "even before 'Sideways' came
out," she said -- and other favorites include Meritage and Bordeaux
blends.
"I've just been loving Syrahs," Collins said. "They're full of
fruit, spice, smoke and tobacco."
Great Legs is named after the streams, or legs, that glide down
the inside of a wine glass after it's swirled. Wine enthusiasts say
that legs indicate the wine is rich and full-bodied, though their
appearance has more to do with alcohol content.
A special wine-tasting event takes place each Thursday from 5 to 8
p.m. Most of the year, visiting winemakers present their wines, but
right now they're busy preparing for the harvest.
During Thursday's event, guests receive seven to eight pours for
