Leslie Sherman, Las Vegas, Nevada

Leslie Sherman says her taste buds first tingled about five years ago. It was then that she became very curious about how food and wine are paired in great cuisine.

Leslie, whose real estate service covers the Las Vegas Valley, doesn’t do things in a small way. A little, light reading wasn’t enough to satisfy Leslie’s curiosity. She went straight to the vineyards of California to get the low down.

Last fall Leslie and a colleague travelled to the Sonoma Valley for a three-day hands-on experience. They crushed grapes, they blended wine, they cooked food, and then they put it all together. The duo started at Ravenswood Winery, in Sonoma, where they walked the fields and then went inside to taste and blend some wines.

Next, they moved on to Grgich Hills Estate where they learned about crushing grapes and even pressed some … with their feet. Then it was on to Quintessa Estate, in Rutherford, an eco-dynamic vineyard where they learned about the birds and the bees, literally. Apparently, growing the proper plants with the vines gets the bees active and diminishes the need for insecticides.

But the highlight for Leslie was the final stop at Ramekins Sonoma Valley Culinary School, in Sonoma. Her small group worked together to create a multi-course meal and learned from the chef about complimentary wines.

The experience was fascinating, fun and educational, according to Leslie, and it was worth plunging in. Leslie, of Realty Executives Sherman Group, utilizes this same type of curiosity-enthusiasm in buying and selling residential properties.

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