Meet Tess Ankeny | Owner, Flights Wine Events + Consulting

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tess Ankeny and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tess, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I fell in love with wine when I lived in southern California, which is also where I first began working in the industry and pursuing certifications through the Society of Wine Educators and Court of Master Sommeliers. I’ve worked a number of jobs within the industry since then, including tasting rooms, wine bars, large-scale distribution, education and events, and retail. I always liked the idea of combining these different skills into a business of my own, but the idea for Flights really took form when my sister was getting married a few years ago. She and her fiancé asked me to help them choose the wines that would be served at their wedding—we talked through their budget, catering menu, and taste preferences and from there I put together a wine tasting of our short list of wines (kind of how couples do tastings for their wedding cake or with their caterer) so they could make their final decisions before placing the order with their retailer. We all had so much fun in this process and it felt like a really special, experience-driven, and niche area of wedding and event planning that would combine a lot of my experience in wine education and events.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always had a bit of an “obsessive” personality. Even when I was a kid, if something caught my interest I needed to know everything about it. I studied French and Linguistics at the University of Texas, and after graduating I planned to start culinary school in San Diego. A good appreciation of food often lends itself to an appreciation of wine—which is exactly what happened to me. After moving to California, I had opportunities to travel around the state visiting tasting rooms and vineyards and I fell in love with the art of wine. As is my way, I became obsessed and started spending all my free time doing blind tastings and studying for wine certifications.

I became a Certified Sommelier (CS) through the Court of Master Sommeliers, as well as a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and Certified Wine Educator (CWE) through the Society of Wine Educators and have worked in jobs all across the industy—in tiny tasting rooms and wine bars, in retail and wine club management, as well as in large-scale distrubtion and education for the Moët Hennessy portfolio of Champagnes, wines, and liquors in the Washington, D.C. metro.

The vision for Flights is to help our clients create the perfect wine list for their wedding (or any special event). Our process is always fun and never snobby, and the goal is to simply share a love of wine and help our clients feel confident in their choices. Wine is always surprising me: you can think you’ve learned just about everything about it, but then tomorrow someone will be trying something new and you will have more to learn.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I moved to Parker two years ago from just outside of Washington, D.C. and I absolutely love it here. My perfect week would include a lot of time hiking in the mountains, and of course ending each day with excellent drinks and dinner. With two young kids I don’t make it into Denver as much as I’d like, but I’d never miss an opportunity to have Champagne at Sunday Vinyl or cocktails at Death & Co.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My children, Norah and Simon, inspire me every day with their creativity and confidence. They motivate me to (try to) be the best version of myself and above all to never be afraid to learn new things. Kids are fearless! And I must also give a tremendous shoutout to my husband and partner in all things, Cody, who always makes both the good times and the hard times so much better.

Website: https://flightswine.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flights.wine/#

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566999916756