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Q: From the boardroom to the vineyards%u2014what inspired your shift from corporate America to the world of winemaking?A: After working my way up the corporate ladder at Best Buy, raising our two children in the Midwest where the company is based, and enduring nearly 40 years of winters in Minnesota, I was ready! My husband and I would escape to Napa Valley for romantic weekends to reconnect when we weren%u2019t traveling in opposite directions for work or taking our children to their events. After many getaways, the early death of my mother at 60, and the tragic events of 9/11%u2014where the towers tumbled with many of my Wall Street mentors from Best Buy%u2019s early financial days%u2014life%u2019s inflection point in 2001 was impossible to ignore. It was time to pursue our dream of owning, operating, and starting a winery and to apply what I learned over 21 years in the early days of Best Buy to see if we could build a business to share with future generations.Q: Founding Fantesca Estate & Winery must have been a huge leap. How did your corporate experience shape your approach to running a winery?A: Interestingly enough, it didn%u2019t feel like that much of a risk. I think entrepreneurs are wired that way. I knew the skills and connections I acquired growing such a dynamic powerhouse like Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) would serve me well. No one builds anything alone%u2014it takes dedicated colleagues and a willingness to learn through failures. I was better prepared to navigate the rough roads of establishing a new wine brand and planning ahead. That%u2019s why I stayed at Best Buy even after we started the winery in 2004. The wine business has long inventory cycles, with wines aging in barrels and bottles, so someone needed to cover the expenses while we got started. I flew from Minnesota to California every other week from 2004 to 2013. It was crazy, but worth it!16 MOST MAGAZINE - ISSUE 61