
2 minute read
Centerstage: Côtes de Femme Kristin Bernard - Vintner
from HEM Jan Feb issue
Centerstage
Kristin Bernard
Advertisement
Meet Kristin and Andy Bernard, local vintners, and owners of Côtes de Femme Wines removed from the bottle and kept by the customer?” Next, I created the idea of our removable signature sparkling wine bracelet. I now have a patent on the design.
SC: What’s next? KB: We recently added a gorgeously drinkable Cabernet Sauvignon that is produced in Alexander Valley, and we will soon be adding a true Champagne from Cernay les-Reims, France. n
SC: When did your love affair with wine begin? KB: It started with ordering wine on dinner dates. When we were in our early twenties, we would go out and I would order a beautiful glass of wine which lit up the table. Andy would order a soft drink which did not possess the same glamour. So, he decided to learn about wine in order to “be a better date.” As the years passed and we had young children, we would put them to bed and have date night at home. We would pick a wine from the book, decide on a food pairing, then cook and enjoy the wine and meal together. It became a way for us to learn about and visit other parts of the world, without ever leaving home.
SC: Then, how did it go from a hobby into an actual business? KB: I began researching the wine business and realized all the different people and components that go into winemaking. Four years ago, I went to Andy and said, “It’s time! I want to start my wine business and I want to start with French Rosé. He was completely supportive, but said, “We can kill fake plants - how can we grow grapes?” I explained to him what I had learned. We would be creating a brand, and many other people would play roles in the actual production of the wine. I had decided that I wanted my rosé to be from Côtes de Provence and I wanted a beautiful bottle that would stand out on the shelf. Then we named our brand, Côtes de Femme, or “sides of woman,” to encapsulate the complexities of the female creature. I wanted the brand to represent all women, regardless of shape, size, age or skin tone. We found a Russian artist, Elena Naumchenkova, to create the line art for the logo. Using line art was important because we wanted the image to appear as if it were any woman - so that every woman could look at it and see herself.
SC: The bottles are stunning! How did you get the idea for the sparkly bracelet on the neck? AB: We were playing around with the idea of embellishing the bottles with glitzy jewelry or something, when I said, “I would hate for someone to just throw away a beautiful bottle. What if we created a beautiful gift that could be

