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I am here for Friends and Networking

About Me

I've been many things. Fried chicken waitress. McDonald's drive-thru cashier. Naive Midwest girl who moved to Miami for culture shock, sunshine and pina coladas. Sole financier of my college education. Bartender with the gift of the gab. Hopeless romantic. Victim of many Latin lovers. Wine magazine editor. Wine festival organizer. It almost seems like a past life today. The roads traveled led me from Kansas to Florida in 1994, where I spent seven hindsightly funny years on the Miami dating circuit – inspiration for my first book, a memoir, which is almost complete. I stumbled into the wine business in 1997, after sipping Tavel roses and learning wine geography in college. Living in Northern California since 2001, I now work in public relations for a luxury importing firm that represents acclaimed wine estates around the world http://www.wilsondaniels.com. I just finished a one-year stint in Ireland, thanks to my husband's work assignment. We lived in Galway on the West Coast and broke in our passports, visiting a new country every month. My rule to live by: The world wasn't created so that we could all just remain in one place. As long as I'm near water and surrounded by inspiring scenery and intriguing people, I'm happy. With time, I've developed an uncanny ability to always remain optimistic and handle any and all curve balls life throws at me. Lucky enough to meet and marry my soulmate in this lifetime, after a few bumps in the Miami-Dade County roads, by age 31.For more pictures, check out my husband's page at http://www.damonmattson.com/ as well as our Euro Travel Blog at http://oneyearineurope.blogspot.com.
And if you're wondering, yes - I am the Wine News writer formerly known as Lisa Somers, who was formerly Lisa Kermashek. A woman of many names, but still true to my Kansas roots - they've just been grafted over to St. George rootstock.


Here's the trailer for a documentary series I helped produce while living in Europe in 2008:
Wilson Daniels Films Trailer from Wilson Daniels Ltd. on Vimeo .
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My Interests

I'd like to meet:

Writers, Poets, Wine Lovers, Old Friends, Wildcats, Yogis, Kindred Spirits, Ex-Pats, Intrepid Travelers, Francophiles, Italians

My Blog

Why seek out a CASA in Paris?

The name might have Americans stratching theirs heads about the authenticity, but Casa Olympe is considered one of the best bistros in Paris. The chef, Dominique Versini, is one of the few female chef...
Posted by on Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:22:00 GMT

Stairs worth climbing for an unforgettable meal

If you ever find yourself in Dublin, a restaurant not to be missed is the charming Winding Stair. http://www.winding-stair.com/ Located above a book shop, Winding Stair is a one-room, cozy restaurant ...
Posted by on Sat, 03 Nov 2007 06:16:00 GMT

Announcing my new travel blog

Please visit http://oneyearineurope.blogspot.com/ to read about our experiences while living in Ireland. I will be posting to it every week or so. Cheers, Lisa
Posted by on Sat, 29 Sep 2007 09:28:00 GMT

Prime needs a coat of primer

A few weeks ago, Damon and I spent four days in Las Vegas, living it up - big pimp'n. We stayed at the Wynn Hotel http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/ - the bling, bling place to be on the Strip - where ...
Posted by on Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:54:00 GMT

Scooter gets to skate

I can't believe this. It's runaway robbery. It is ever going to stop? They think they are above the law. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to spend the last year of the Bush Presidency living abro...
Posted by on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:11:00 GMT

Napa Valley's new BLING

Napa Valley's wealthiest residents are known for building elaborate wineries, nearly as large as the owners' egos. In the last few years, it has seemed like everyone is trying to "one-up" the last win...
Posted by on Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:18:00 GMT

New Wine for Left Handers

W. Blake Gray from the San Francisco Chronicle continues to overcover the most novel marketing concepts in the world of wine. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/22/ WIGI7QILF61.DT...
Posted by on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 00:29:00 GMT

Mr. Bubbly in rare form

Today, I bestow the title of Mr. Bubbly upon acclaimed author Mark Oldman. www.markoldman.com. I attended a seminar at the Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen last Sunday that Mark moderated, wh...
Posted by on Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:58:00 GMT

When in Rome

I had an absolutely fabulous dinner in Rome a few weeks ago at a restaurant near the Trevi Fountain. The restaurant was recommended by an ex-pat from Los Angeles who has lived in Rome for several year...
Posted by on Sun, 10 Jun 2007 08:59:00 GMT

Isola d'Elba for American travelers

This weekend, a travel colleague and I spent two nights on the Island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany. (We had a free weekend between business meetings, a.k.a winery visits, so we decided to leave th...
Posted by on Sun, 03 Jun 2007 09:08:00 GMT