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People to Watch: Tom & Laura Plant

12.02.13

What could be more appropriate in today’s digital social media world than a blogging couple who met on Match.com? Tom and Laura Plant met in 2008 and married on July 4, 2009, “Independence from Singlehood day.” But they were not always bloggers.

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Tom’s background was in radio as a disc jockey that did news, sports and traffic in the San Francisco Bay area. He was also a voice actor and had cameo appearances on Nash Bridges. In addition to his many talents he was a realtor in California and has a natural ability to capture emotion in his photographs. He says his passion for photography was inspired at the age of 13 by his dad.

Laura began her career in advertising and public relations. She owned a successful national beauty supply manufacturing firm, but aspired to be a writer. Though I have never personally met Laura, I feel I know her vicariously through all the wonderful things that Tom says about her.

According to Tom their first date was at The Wine Company wine bar in Temecula. Wine brought them together and visiting wineries continued to be their couples’ pastime. A friend observed their approachable personalities, passion for wine, and relationships already developed and said, “You’re in the wrong line of work. You know how to write. You are a photographer. Figure it out.”

There are not many businesses that are “build it and they will come”. It takes time, commitment, perseverance, and oh so much patience when spouses are involved. Laura’s dreams of writing were realized with Tom in building a Wine Tourism business together. They run a highly respected winery tour business in Temecula which provides fertile material for their blog at www.WINEormous.com. Then suddenly, Laura was stricken by a health condition that no longer allowed her to drink. Can you imagine running a wine tourism and tasting business and writing about wine when you cannot taste it?

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds,” did not come to mind for her initially. But she continued to be Mrs. WINEormous and reinvented herself within the dreams of their business together. Today she continues to work with the wine tours and is now known by her friends as a “Wine Sniffologist”–(a person who enjoys wine through smell only).

What is Wineormous you ask? It is definitely a new word created by Tom Plant. And it is a perfect descriptor for who he is. Tom is a gentle giant who makes you want to love wine and everything about it. He makes wine “wineormous” in our lives. For wine tours and for great blogs on wine, follow @WINEormous on Twitter.

Cheers,

Merrill