About Us
Haydn S. Adams
Haydn grew up on the beaches in San Diego. He moved up to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend the Academy of Art University and soon started to roam tasting rooms up in Sonoma County and Napa. It was soon discovered that he possessed a very strong palate and a keen sense of price and quality with wines.
Haydn's palate is superb and has been reported to taste bottle shock, minute tannins and subtle hints of baked blueberries in wines with one sip. He is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek & Alexander Valley, and currently writes a monthly wine review column as well as publishes reviews on the Beyond Napa valley wine blog and co-instructs the wine class Wonders of Wine in Marin.
Haydn's goal is to bring to light the "hidden gems" of the wine world.
Robin Barr Sussman
Native Texan Robin Barr Sussman (rbs@pdq.net) is a full-time freelance food, wine and travel writer who studied at the Culinary Institute of America/Greystone, Napa Valley, California. Sussman worked as a chef in Sonoma County for several boutique wineries where her specialty was wine and food pairing. Currently, she is a contributing food editor for Modern Luxury Publications and a columnist for My Table Magazine, Houston’s dining magazine. Her work appears in Texas Monthly, Grape, Private Clubs Magazine, Prime Living, Austin Woman and others. She covers the restaurant and travel scene for Gayot and Fodor’s travel guides and recently contributed to The Ultimate Food Lover’s Guide to Houston. Check out some of her articles at www.robinbarrsussman.com or her blog: www.robinbarrsussman.blogspot.com. Her home away from home: Healdsburg, California. Her culinary mission? Great taste.
Beth Niles
Beth Niles grew up in Baltimore, Md. where she learned how to shuck oysters and pick blue crabs. An after-school job at the local cheese shop lead to a career in culinary and wine related pursuits. During the 80’s she made wine resembling Cabernet Sauvignon in her Haight-Ashbury garage. As a veteran panel coordinator for the San Francisco International Wine and Spirits Competition Beth has had the inside scoop on wine trends and tasted thousands of wines. In 2005, she returned to Napa Valley College to study sensory evaluation, winemaking and viticulture. Beth has worked hospitality at a biodynamic winery in the famed Stag's Leap and is on call at a small family winery in the equally prestigious Rutherford district of the Napa Valley. She regularly attends numerous international wine events and seminars and in 2006, earned an Advanced Certificate, “ with distinction” from the prestigious Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Her nest may be empty but her Riedel wine glass is always half full. She currently lives with her dog Tigger in Marin County, California.
Beth co-instructs the wine class Wonders of Wine in Marin.
Ashley Constans
Over the past several years, Ashley Constans has been broadening her wine horizons. When approached about her knowledge on wine, she simply said, “I learn something new everyday.” She has worked in both the retail and direct sales establishments of the wine industry. To Ashley, wine is fun and gorgeous. Wine should be celebrated and should be memory related.
Ashley would never claim to be an expert on wine, however, she does know a thing or two about the wine world, and wants people, men and women, to get a very different feel for wine. Her goal is to help you feel comfortable with wine, wineries, wine makers, and products that can help you feel confident and sexy when you make a choice to drink wine.
Ashley grew up in beautiful San Diego, and is a regular wine reviewer on the Beyond Napa valley wine blog. In addition to contributing to this website, Ashley is also the star of the website: winemistress.com.