The Return of Leslie Sbrocco

Five years ago, Leslie Sbrocco did a class for the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival. The organizers were thrilled to have her, especially because her event sold out the first day. They asked me to introduce her, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Not only was the entire gallery jammed (the festival managers had decided to add more tickets after the event sold out so quickly), but I was the only male in the place.

As the class went on, the women were laughing, asking Sbrocco's expert opinion, sharing stories with one another, and just having a great time. By the end of her session, she had the whole group slamming glasses of wine and playing a form of Bullshit! As the audience got more and more hammered, some hapless husband walked into the gallery just as the screams of "bullshit" rattled the rafters. When the women noticed the guy and all started giggling, his inner Baptist preacher came out as he demanded, "What's going on here!?" The audience looked at him, then at Sbrocco. When she started laughing, the whole room erupted. Sbrocco politely told the man to sit down so the ladies could finish their game, which he did.

Now it's true that Sbrocco had a good deal of fame before she came to Austin that first time. She had already written Wine for Women: A Guide To Buying, Pairing, and Sharing Wine (William Morrow, 2003), which won the famed Georges Duboeuf Wine Book of the Year award. Her second book, The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide: Buying, Pairing & Sharing for All (William Morrow, 2006), was just being released, and she was turning her occasional appearances on the Today show into a regular gig. But most of the rest of her fame came from the Bay Area of California, where she wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle and starred in the PBS series Check, Please!: Bay Area, winning a James Beard Award and two Emmys.

But just what was it that made so many Austin women come out in such large numbers? It took me a while to figure out Sbrocco's appeal, but by the end of her class, I finally got it. Under the guise of a wine presentation, Sbrocco empowers women. Not just in their knowledge about wine, but in their ability to live a better, happier, and more fulfilled life. And she especially helps them strategize on how to create and achieve their dreams.

Sbrocco has smartly leveraged those strengths and started a group called Thirsty Girl. It's already up to 70 chapters nationwide, with many more to open during her current 16-city tour. And the good news is that she's coming back to Austin Wednes­day, April 13, 5:30-7:30pm, at parkside (301 E. Sixth, 474-9898) for the first local meeting of what could become several Austin-area Thirsty Girl clubs.

For about 30 minutes of her two hours at parkside, Sbrocco will demonstrate the usually mutually exclusive talents of being able to educate people while keeping them laughing. But the rest of the time is when the new magic will happen. "You know, this is really a social event," she told me, laughing. "I mean, I will spend a little time explaining wine – things like how the structure of a wine is like a great bra, which lifts and separates, yet at the same time holds everything together – and, we'll also be serving some excellent wines. But expressing your own passion and how you're living life to the fullest is really what being a Thirsty Girl is about," Sbrocco said. "The ladies come to drink, laugh, and have a great time, but many also end up listening, learning, and encouraging each other. All with a glass in their hands! One thing we didn't expect in the beginning is that at every meeting, a few of them make friends and become allies. We're even seeing a biz card or two exchanged. Thirsty Girl has morphed into a new way for women to network!"

For any of you who are interested in tasting and learning about wine, laughing, or just learning how to achieve your career dreams, Thirsty Girl promises to be a great group, and Sbrocco's meeting at parkside is the perfect place to start. Finally, if you do go, be aware that Sbrocco – or at least a part of Sbrocco – was once a famous fashion model. Be sure you ask her to demonstrate.