Intriguing Virtuoso of Wine Country Experiences

T left the South to go to college, but the South has never left her. Her graceful hospitality (and pithy Southern colloquialisms) are the stuff of legends. Guests of her curated luxury tour business, Verve Napa Valley, leave wine country as old friends who can’t wait for their next visit.

Like her mother, a trailblazing civil rights attorney who loved metal sculpting, T blends artistic flair with serious brains and a formidable work ethic. She completed B.A.s in Psychology and Art from Stanford University, with advanced degrees in the fields of Counseling, Education, and Design.

Long before there was Festival Napa Valley, BottleRock, and rotating art exhibitions all over downtown, T was leading the crusade to nurture the arts in Napa Valley. She co-founded Napa Valley Arts and Lectures as well as the Napa Valley Film Society, and served as an appointed member of the Napa County Commission for Arts and Culture.

Her career path to Verve has been as colorful as her personality, with stints as a marketing and outreach consultant, interior and graphic designer, event planner, art concierge, and co-founder of River School, Napa County’s first charter school — to name a few

Verve is far more than a wine tour company. T shows her guests facets of wine country only long-time locals get to see — secret gardens, lesser-known hiking trails, cheese & beer tastings, private art collections and garden-to- glass mixology classes, to name a few.

Since starting Verve in 2012, T’s grown a cult following for her sabrage lessons. She says she’s probably sliced open almost 1,000 bottles of bubbly over the years, and has trained several thousands of people how to do it safely at home.

Verve’s success centers around tailoring every itinerary to the guest, ensuring every tour fits as perfectly as a red suede saber glove.