Caterer Catherine Driggers is owner of Olive and Vine in Glen Ellen, which opens a new wine bar this Friday.

DH: As well doing catering, which is an awesome proposition in and of itself, you now have a wine bar at Olive and Vine. I noticed a sign that read “unwined.” In the wine country, we’re used to getting wound up if not wined up – so what occurs when we unwined?

CD: Because we’re not obliged to any particular wineries we can sort of be out of the box.

DH: But you don’t mean wine out of a box, right?

CD: [laughing] That’s funny, Daedalus. That goes with Ritz Crackers, right? Anyway, we can put in all of our really fun boutique wineries from all around Sonoma, but also do flights from, for instance, South Africa, Portugal and Carneros – all pinots. It’s international, but out of the box.

DH: It’s sort of like the United Nations then?

CD: Well, everyone is beholden to their own wineries and want to make sure they’re represented well, but this way we get to do anything.
DH: Being beholden to wine is one of the reasons they created rehab…

CD: [laughing] So true.

DH: Have you always been a foodie?

CD: I’ve been a chef for over half my life.

DH: So about 12 years now?

CD: That’s cute, I love that.

DH: Food is often time a functional phenomenon for humans. Like when I was a bachelor.

CD: Sustenance, as it were.

DH: Indeed. When does it cross over and become a sensual experience?