Special Guest: Suzanne Hoffman
Suzanne Hoffman is an attorney and freelance journalist born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She grew up in Thibodaux, in the heart of Louisiana’s bayou country, and now resides in the central Colorado Rockies near Vail.Thanks to the influences of her Sicilian grandmother and mother, Suzanne developed a rabid wanderlust and passion for the cucina at an early age. She became a daydreamer who pondered trips to distant shores and lives in close-knit families steeped in culture. Suzanne fell in love with Europe, particularly Switzerland and Italy. She studied Biomedical Engineering at Tulane University and later law at South Texas College of Law in Houston.
After she finished law school, Suzanne, her husband, Dani, and their two miniature Schnauzers, Otis and Ludwig, moved from their home in Houston, Texas, to Switzerland where she worked as an attorney in the financial services and aviation industries. It was during her years of expatriate alpine living that Suzanne discovered Piemonte. The region, particularly its people and their heritage, bewitched her.
Shortly after repatriating to America in 2007, Suzanne began to find her writing voice. She worked as a freelance writer exploring the behind the scenes world of Colorado’s hospitality industry through first hand work experiences she shared in her weekly “Behind the Scenes” column in the Vail Daily. In March 2013, Suzanne embarked upon a labor of love exploring the wine families of Piemonte through the eyes of its women. Her voice became their collective voice and, on June 2, 2016, after hundreds of hours of research and interviews, Suzanne launched her first book, Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte, in Piemonte at the Barbaresco winery Cà del Baio.
Suzanne holds a Federal import license and has represented several Piemonte wine families in Colorado. She recently completed 10 years of service to Chaîne des Rotîsseurs as Bailli in Vail and now serves the Southwest Region as Chambellan Provincial. When not immersed in her labor of love at the keyboard, Suzanne enjoys alpine skiing, snowshoeing, biking, hiking, and exploring the world of wine with her husband, Dani.
Suzanne is pictured above, left, with Anna Abbona (Marchesi di Barolo) at an event at the Castello di Monticello.
Also in Bios
Special Guest: Eugenio Jardim
A native of Brazil, Eugenio Jardim has been a part San Francisco's wine scene since 1988. He's created and run wine programs for some of the city's hottest clubs and restaurants, been featured guest speaker and judge at countless events and competitions and became the first US Ambassador for Wines of Portugal.
Special Guest: Dean Hewitson, Owner & Winemaker, Hewitson Winery, Barossa Valley
Dean Hewitson has been making wine since he graduated from Australia’s world-famous Roseworthy Agricultural College in 1986. He established highly acclaimed Hewitson winery in the Barossa Valley in 1998. San Francisco Wine School Proudly welcomes him as a special guest panelist for Wine Australia's Old Vine Treasures.
Special Guest: Ira Noroff, CWE, CSE
Ira Noroff has been working in the wine industry since 1976. He is a Certified Wine Educator and holds many other wine & spirits credentials. He was a Director of Education with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits for 15 years until his retirement in 2020.