Rosie Kasper-Bennett, Certified Sommelier

Rosie was born and raised in a picturesque small town nestled in the foothills of the Swiss Alps. She grew up in a household where wine and food was a big part of daily life and culture. It didn’t take much to arouse Rosie’s natural curiosity about this fascinating subject. After earning her Business Degree at the College in Chur, Switzerland, Rosie set out to follow her love and passion for wine. She traveled extensively, visiting some of the most beautiful wine regions in Europe, and eventually the world.

In the late 1980s, Rosie moved from Switzerland to the U.S. In the 1990s, she opened a restaurant in Sonoma County featuring continental foods with a California twist. Here is where she learned the importance of pairing each variety with the right food for the ultimate dining experience.

Rosie went on to work as a wine educator for more than twenty years at many prominent wine estates in Sonoma County and Napa Valley. In this role, she shared her wine knowledge with VIP guests and visitors. After many requests, Rosie started offering private wine events pairing locally sourced foods prepared by talented chefs with her delicious wine selections. These fun and entertaining classes always sold out.

For serious wine enthusiasts, including some who went on to become certified sommeliers themselves, Rosie taught the Wine Certification Program for the International Sommelier Guild in San Francisco. These extenvise courses covered wine history, the many different grape varieties, wines from around the world, how to taste and serve wine, how to properly pair food with wine, how soil and climate effect the flavor of the wine, the making and aging of wine, grape growing techniques, and vineyard management practices.

Rosie earned two degrees from the International Sommelier Guild: the first as a Certified Sommelier and the second as a Wine Educator from their Wine Teacher Education program. After that, she went on to receive two additional degrees: the first as a Certified Wine Educator and the second as a Certified Specialist of Wine from the Society of Wine Educators.