Karen Sposato, Sposato Family Vineyards' Biggest Fan
Karen Howard Sposato could give model Tyra Banks a run for the money when it comes to “smize,” the art of smiling with your eyes. Even when the Milton, Delaware, resident is wearing a mask, you can tell she’s also wearing a grin.
Sposato is the co-founder of Sposato Family Vineyards, and in many respects, she is the face of the brand. She handles marketing, which includes pouring the winery’s Malbec, Chardonnay and other products at tastings and wine dinners.
Those who know her say she does her job well. “Her dedication and determination have brought Sposato wines into many of our fabulous restaurants at the beach,” agrees Stacy LaMotta, founder of the Southern Delaware Wine, Food & Music Festival. “She is a bundle of energy.”
The former college cheerleader needed that enthusiasm during the pandemic’s early days when restaurant dining rooms closed, and wine sales were sluggish. Many liquor stores halted tastings. After concentrating on social media, she got back into rotation in fall, just in time to debut the winery’s new Reserve Pinot Noir. “It’s the perfect bottle to have on the holiday table,” maintains Sposato, who sprinkles wine glass emojis in her texts and emails.
Growing up in Harford County, Maryland, she often saw her family drink wine at celebrations and everyday meals. “My mother set a nice table, and it was important for my family to have a nice dinner together,” she says. “We’re Irish Catholic, and there was wine at church, my grandparents had it — it was part of life. We didn’t think of it as partying.” It became a job in 2008 when business partner Tony Sposato, whom she married after college, sought to diversify. He’d already found success with Sposato Landscaping, which he’d started while looking for a full-time teaching job. “He’d always talked about owning a piece of property or a farm,” Karen Sposato recalls. “We could start a nursery and build greenhouses.”
Or, he said, “We could grow grapes.” He knew a thing or two about soil and climate, and for the wine he wanted to make, Argentina was ideal. In 2012, they purchased 250 acres—and water rights— in Mendoza and installed an irrigation system, electric and other improvements.
“Where we live at the beach is a culture of vacation, bands great restaurants — beach vibes, but in Argentina, it’s a culture of wine,” she says. “Your eyes are open to the fact that this is a livelihood.” Their Argentine winemaker, the youngest of nine children, has four brothers in the profession. “This is not just a hobby,” she notes.
When Sposato goes to tastings or trade shows, she wears Sposato Family Vineyards-imprinted clothing. But the former first-grade teacher does not rely on the logo to tell her story. Sposato tells people that it is her wine. “We own the property where the vino is being made,” she says. “It’s brought here from the foothills of the Andes Mountains.”
When it comes to getting the wine in stores, she’s often relaying the tale to men; most owners are male. But she does not feel that being a woman is a disadvantage. Increasingly there are more female representatives and managers in the industry, she notes.
No matter where she is marketing Sposato Family Wines, she relishes uniting the Delmarva Peninsula and Argentina. “I think it’s fantastic to be able to celebrate two cultures,” she says.
Karen Sposato’s wine picks for the holidays
With holiday turkey: Sposato Reserve Pinot Noir, Grand Reserve Malbec or the lighter Classic Red Blend.
For New Year’s Eve: Sposato Fresh Blend. “It’s effervescent — fabulous for a celebration.” Or Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
For a cozy night by the fire: “Spicy ‘banging’ Bonarda!”
For a girlfriends’ brunch: Reserve Chardonnay, which has toasted, oaky notes and aromas of soft peach and apple, for Classic Rosé.
As a hostess gift: Reserve Malbec or Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. “It shows you have great taste, but you didn’t break the bank showing your appreciation.”
Gift for the wine-lover: Grand Reserve Cabernet Franc, which has a smooth, long finish, or Sabia Savia (Wise Sap), a Malbec-Cabernet Sauvignon blend that is Sposato’s top-of-the-line wine.
