In The Press
From The Palm Beacher:
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 The Palm Beacher April 2003 - Mara Goodman-Davies (Cover Story)
'THE WINE DIVA' STORY
When Christine Ansbacher, "The Wine Diva," first came to Palm Beach, she knew she was absolutely in her glory. "Palm Beach is a beautiful, elegant environment that lends itself wonderfully to enjoying the world's finest wines." Now a regular visitor and welcomed friend, Christine was the guest of honor at a fine wine and gourmet lunch given by society hostess Miss Mary Francis Turner and Mrs. Janet Gusman at Mar-A-Lago on Feb. 7. Christine was joined by "toute le monde" of Palm Beach society, including Arlette Gordon, Orator and Maureen Woodward, Jasmine Horowitz, Marianne Castle, Andrea Stark, Viscountess Martine de Saint Hippolyte, just to name a few.
Christine Ansbacher's life story and love affair with wine is a fascinating tale of how an innate passion evolved into an acclaimed profession. Growing up around the world as the daughter of a foreign service officer, Christine developed a taste for rare and exotic things at a very young age. It was these global experiences that expanded her creativity and prepared her for a career in the world of advertising that lasted two decades. However, Christine felt something was missing. She yearned to spend her days cultivating her true passion, and that was delving more deeply into the world of art, architecture, and wine.
Finally fed up with the trials and tribulations of Madison Avenue, Christine left the advertising business and took a position as an aide to Mr. Carter Burden, a prestigious New York businessman and philanthropist who was a member of the Vanderbilt family. Luckily for Christine, she was involved in expanding Mr. Burden's world-class wine collection. This unique twist of fate put her in the coveted position she always dreamed of. Much of Christine's time and energy was now spent doing exactly what she loved best: going to auctions, visiting wineries, attending tastings and furthering her knowledge of fabulous wine.
After Mr. Burden's untimely death, Christine committed herself to getting a "proper" wine education. She attained the Advanced Certificate and The Diploma from the exclusive Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London in four years. While 700 wine professionals (including distributors, importers, wine auction specialists and prestigious wine writers) have taken the written and tasting exams for The Diploma, Christine is one of only 46 professionals who have earned this degree. She has recently been accepted into the world-renowned Master of Wine program.
After marrying Yale-educated, Wall Street money manager, Max Ansbacher, Christine found herself at a crossroads. Although she enjoyed "wining and dining" with her husband's elite coterie of clients, Christine knew she had to do more with her life than just be a hostess. So she decided to develop a unique approach to sharing her wine knowledge by interweaving historical anecdotes about famous wine lovers and the times they lived in with practical tips and food and wine pairing advice.
Christine began lecturing and conducting historical wine tastings in some of New York's most prestigious venues such as The Century Association, The Lotos Club, The Metropolitan Club, The Knickerbocker Club, as well as for corporations, charities and cultural organizations such as The New York Philharmonic. She soon earned the nickname "The Wine Diva" because of her entertaining style. The New York Post has also dubbed her high society's "Duchess of cork".
Today Christine travels extensively, spreading her knowledge to those lucky enough to see her in action. Christine is also a frequent guest on WXEL, the public television station covering all south Florida on a program hosted by Toni May called, "Today in South Florida."
In conclusion, Christine's deepest desire is to touch people's lives by showing them how to maximize the pleasure of fine wine, wonderful food and good company. "After all," The Wine Diva says with a wink in her eye," a meal without wine is called breakfast."
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