Marie Kaposchyn, Avid Traveler and Director for Bonne Cuvee Wine Tours. Former Program Director for International Summer programs at the University of New Orleans.
For over 25 years I have been coordinating all aspects of travel abroad while making the journey simple and enjoyable. The information I share is a compilation of tips, knowledge, and experience that will simplify the ever changing process of travel and upgrade your travel experience. I am also the co-owner of Bonne Cuvee Wine tours (www.bonnecuvee.com) a wine tour company that takes you to the most beautiful vineyards in the world and specializes in small educational V.I.P. wine tours.
My diverse childhood. I was born in Venezuela from a Russian father and a French mother who had traveled to dozens of countries before I was even born. Our weekends were spent surrounded by a slew of international friends who cooked specialties from their home countries. I attended the local school where I learned proper Spanish and spent summers speaking French in the southwest of France where my grandfather lived. We moved to the US when I was 13 years old and I learned English, my third language. Travel is in my DNA.
The fashion mix. When it was time to decide on a college major, I did not want to deal with languages as my family had for so long, (my father speaks 8 languages!) so I did a 360 and immersed myself in the world of fashion and modeling. I had a short, albeit interesting, career as a commercial model and then worked as an agent for about 10 years.
The travel bug bites again. After starting my own family I realized that the world of travel (and, yes, languages) was a better fit than fashion so I started working on study abroad programs. The enthusiasm of travel-hungry participants of all ages is contagious and keeps you energized.
The food and wine factor. After 26 glorious years, I took an early retirement and started a Wine Tour business with my colleague and wine expert, Harsha Chacko. Over the years, we have organized numerous wine tours for college students but we wanted to expand to small, adult tours where we could take the snobbery out of wine tasting. When I travel, I research food places ranging from street food at a minimal price for tight budgets to Michelin starred restaurants for my foodie gourmet travelers. In our wine tours, we teach about the terroirs and cépage, and we visit numerous vineyards, meet oenologists and wine growers. So much to taste, so little time!
All around favorites. Extensive travel allows me to see and try so much. I try to highlight the food of the regions I visit as detailed as I can but there is so much good food out there! If pressed, and I had to choose my all-around favorite meal it would be a perfectly seared duck breast surrounded by new potatoes cooked in the duck fat so often served in the French Pyrenees.
Marie lives with her husband in New Orleans in a home they share with their traveling Pomeranian, Bouchon and Chihuahua Gigi.