How it all started...

Life in transition. Having finished two years at the University of Vermont, it was time for me to get back to the warmth and sunshine of the Good Ol' North State. The University of North Carolina granted me a year deferral of my transfer and my first thought was France. Our good family friend Alex Gambal has been in Burgundy for over 15 years. In 1997 he created Maison Alex Gambal and is now making and distributing wine to over 20 countries.

Through Mr. Gambal and Le Centre de Formation Professionnelle et de Promotion Agricole (CFPPA) in Beaune, I am part of a week-long program called Odyssey in Burgundy. The class includes lessons on: the history of Beaune; vine vegetative cycle, conduct and cutting; harvest-time precautions and security; wine making and storage processes; and the methodology and practice of wine tasting. Not to mention we get to visit and taste at some of Burgundy’s finest Domaines with the winegrowers themselves!

Class starts tomorrow and I am eager and ready to get to know the ( tres international) group I will be studying with!

Alex in a Basket: Profile
In the basket in their bathroom the magazines next to their toilette are; military history magazine, Wine magazine and UNC alumni magazine – that’s Alex in a nutshell. Let’s not forget however, the Russian machismo act he replays after several glasses of wine. (Haha!)

“I think… I’m feelin’…. POWERFUL!” (rubs his chest in circles around his heart) “mmm… yeaa baby!”

Russian in heritage, American in style and French at heart, Alex is one hell of a guy. A history and business major at UNC-CH (circa Joyce), Alex wasn’t always on this path. He started out in real estate in the US but has now come to live la vrai vie! Passionate about and devoted to wine, Alex has spent the last 20 years of his life in France. He apprenticed under Becky Wasserman for two years and has since then accumulated vineyards he can call his own in the Burgundy region. With his cute little smile, his great hair and his natural French persona, he’s won the hearts and the trust of the people in Beaune and is prospering more and more every year!