Tom Skokut

Since we now have three Toms, Tom Skokut has become known around the store as Dr. Tom, (Ph.D. not M.D.), and while he may be slightly underemployed selling wine, we are all very glad to have him.

How old are you? I am 66.

What did you do in the real world? I was a Research Scientist at Dow AgroSciences. My wife and I both retired from DAS three and a half years ago. I had a research career in plant biology for over 30 years (not all at Dow). I worked in plant tissue culture, plant molecular biology and plant genetic engineering. I have worked with corn, wheat, soybeans and canola, but never grapevines.

How long have you been with The Grapevine Cottage? Eight years.

When and how did your love of wine begin? My parents lived on a small farm in Paso Robles for 20 years after they retired. At my many visits, we would go tasting at the different wineries. By the time they left in 2007, there were more than 30 wineries in a 10-mile radius from where they lived. Twenty years ago, Paso Robles had very few wineries. I had the privilege of watching the area grow into a well-respected wine region. My favorite winery in Paso is Tobin James, which you could easily walk to from my parents’ house. Walking back home was the hard part.

How would you classify your taste in wines, Old World or New World? I am pretty much a New World guy through and through. My tastes in wine have definitely changed since I began working here. I love Pinots, especially the light cherry/fruity ones you get from Napa, Sonoma, and the California central coast. You can still get a very good one for less than $20 at the store. My second love is New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. I love the crisp grapefruit taste anytime of the year but especially in the heat of summer. There are even a couple (just a couple) of Sonoma Sauv Blancs that I really like.

All of us have our favorites ... what varietals or regions do you feel are your strongest areas of expertise? Come to me for suggestions on value Pinots and Sauv Blancs. I love distinguishing the differences in Pinots between different locations (for example California vs. Oregon) and matching the right wine with the customers’ tastes. I try to taste most of the Sauv Blancs in the store and am happy to steer the customers to what best suits them.

I also would like to think that I know a little about the wines from the Paso Robles and Santa Barbara area. I am always happy to direct people to the good ones (my opinion of course).

What is your favorite food and wine pairing? In my opinion, Pinot goes well with salmon, pizza, pasta, steak and hamburgers. I love Pinots. Sauv Blancs are great with appetizers and we love them with a variety of seafood, salads, spicy Asian and some chicken dishes.

What is your current favorite bottle? Current favorite bottles are Oyster Bay Sauv Blanc, the Tessellae Carignan and the Pundit Syrah. See, I am able to go out of my box from time to time!

What was your most memorable bottle? Tobin James Fat Boy. It’s an out-of-this-world Zinfandel and is perfect with Christmas dinner. I belong to the Tobin James wine club and when they send a Fat Boy, I save it for a special occasion.

Your favorite restaurant? My wife and I go out to lunch a lot. We love to have lunch at The Friendly Tavern, Patrick’s, Stone Creek, the Parthenon, Yen Ching and Mitchell’s Fish Market. Our favorite is Pizzology — their lunch special is the greatest!

Funniest moment working here? I think I have at least a dozen funny moments every time I work in the store. The staff is so much fun to work with, we are always laughing and I especially love the sense of humor that our customers have. There was a very funny moment that involved me, Mat, Mark and a couple of sausages but I’m afraid I can’t go into detail.

Best and worst things about working here? No bad things. The best thing is seeing my friends from Dow when they come to the store, making new friends (we have the best customers) and meeting our customers’ dogs. It is also very cool to be in the midst of more than 1,000 different wines.