Meet Heath Porter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heath Porter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heath, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
After 30 years in the food and beverage industry I had to look around and think what would make me happy. It had been a long grind and I knew I could never be separated completely from the business. So I thought about all of the things I loved about my career and the things I did not. I decided that food, wine, travel, service and entertaining were the things I could not do without. I had always traveled and studied intensely for my sommelier, culinary and leadership career. Daily my guests would ask about my travel and and the greatest food, wine and people I had ever visited. So I decided I should take guests with me on private, intimate and behind the scenes tours to the greatest wine regions in the world. Think adult Disneyland for anyone who loves food, wine and travel.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Heathen Wine Tours and Experiences is my baby that I didn’t realize I had been working towards my entire life. I was reared in a small, dry town in north Alabama where alcohol was not allowed. I went on to become a self taught sommelier who ran some of the greatest wine programs and 5 star resorts in the world. It was not easy and there were years of 80-100 work weeks and late night early morning studies. Along the way I was surrounded by some of the greatest F&B professionals in the world and became friends with some of the greatest winemakers and chefs alive. I wouldn’t change anything in the trajectory. I learned that attention to detail, service and hard work are the backbone of all successful businesses and people. I also learned that being yourself is the only thing that will make you happy. My business is built on making people laugh and feel at ease around things that have been seen as snobbish and pretentious for 100’s of years. If I can take you to the best regions in the world, to eat, drink and meet the people behind the stories all while laughing and learning is there really anything better?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the small places and off the beaten path finds. Since I’m in the wine business we would do a lot of eating and drinking. Places like Macchialina, Kon Chau, NIU, Ghee are all at the top of the list for eats. I love a good dive bar as well and Mac’s, Seven Seas, Titanic have all kept plenty of my money over the years.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My father was a coach and my mother a teacher both from the deep south. They were both fans of tough love which in this day and age sounds crazy to many. But it drove me to be mentally strong and not afraid to work hard. Growing up around them I learned that no one was going to give you anything. That you better be willing to bet on yourself and out work everyone around you. Of course my wife Cristi was always the most supportive person in the world to me. Good times and bad she was always there to get my back and also to tell me when I was wrong. Evidently I was wrong A LOT!!!!

Website: www.heathenwine.com
Instagram: @heathenwinetours
Linkedin: Heath Porter
Twitter: @heathenwine
Facebook: Heathen Wine Tours
Youtube: Heathen Wine Tours