CREATING THE BIGHORN
After completing her Masters in Business Administration, Vanessa, attended the Washington Wine Academy in Washington, D.C. where she received her professional wine certifications and diplomas from the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust, and the Court of Sommeliers.
Prior to living in Montana, Vanessa worked as a vineyard hand in wineries in Argentina, Chile, and Italy. She spent 15 years working on the east coast and abroad while employed by international wine importers and the wineries they represented. After devoting many years and miles to making the finest wines in the world available in the States, she decided it was time to return to her small town mountain-roots. She and her family moved to Anaconda, Montana in 2017.
Vanessa founded WINES by V, a Montana-based wine and beer club and an international wine consulting business in 2018. Her goal of "bringing the fine wine of the world to the fine people of the west," lead her to then purchase a dilapidated old building that was built in 1884, with the goal of turning it into something beautiful.
She and her husband put a year's worth of work into the building rehab and now both her venue and the business within it provide a world class experience for all of their guests. The Bighorn provides a worldly, quality-driven collection of wine and beer both on the retail shelves and behind the bar.
At The Bighorn she and her staff host educational wine classes, large tasting events (both public and private), Friday Night Flights, food and wine pairings, as well as wine club! Vanessa's wine expertise, combined with her friendly, and engaging approach, appeals to the masses and yields successful events and happy customers.
Outside of her business endeavors, Vanessa is a mother of three young children. She, her husband, and their kids love life in Anaconda, Montana. Any free time they have is dedicated to being outside and enjoying the beautiful outdoors that Montana has to offer.
