Sharon Kegerreis is co-creator of Michigan Vine and co-author of From the Vine: Exploring Michigan Wineries.
According to Sharon’s mom, signs of Sharon's writing prowess became evident in a poem she wrote about snowmen in grade school. With snow piled as high as the roof of her home in Charlevoix, she recalls writing a lot about snow. Throughout her schooling, she excelled in English and writing. And, apparently, she was always passionate for marketing. Quite notably, she earned 2nd place at a regional drama competition in high school, promoting Garfield (yes, the cat) paraphernalia. Go figure. This presentation experience came in handy years later when she educated diverse markets on how to communicate effectively online.
Post-college years
Sharon earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Interpersonal and Public Communication at Central Michigan University, packing in the credits her last two semesters to graduate in four years. With a shiny new Discover card in hand, she loaded up the trunk of her used Mazda 323 and drove out to Colorado Springs to start her career and ski “real” mountains. (Growing up in a tourist town, she purposefully avoided Boulder and other hot ski destinations.)
She sold radio advertising and wrote ad copy touting everything from lingerie to home furnishings before hiring on as a writer/producer for a local television station. After writing and directing cheesy TV commercials, skiing a lot and hiking the Rockies, Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak, she headed further west to California.
While in southern California, she worked in the high-tech industry as a public relations manager. She wrote marketing and PR collateral and feature articles to gain worldwide media coverage and analyst reviews for high-tech voice/data products. Notably, she acted as spokesperson during pivotal corporate events, including the 1994 Northridge earthquake and acquisition of MICOM by telecom giant Nortel. Since 1993, she has been directing web developments to communicate effectively with businesses and consumers.
She also more seriously took up mountain biking and kayaking between business travel to northern California and east coast states, Europe and Latin America. Living 20 miles from the epicenter of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, she decided she preferred knowing when to expect a natural disaster to hit rather than being tossed out of bed in the wee hours of the morning.
Sharon returned to Michigan in 1997 and was hired as marketing/web director for an engineering firm. She created new branding for the firm and was subsequently hired again as a freelance writer/brand manager for the firm’s 2007 branding. She also assisted numerous municipalities with marketing and with creating web sites to provide timely information to constituents. Notably, she assisted with the city of Lansing’s Lansing Works! Keep GM! campaign and spearheaded development of the city of Wyoming's web site, which was recognized with top honors in state and national competitions for excellence in government communication.
During this time, Sharon met Lorri through a business leads group. An exchange of leads led to Lorri meeting her husband John and a blind date for Sharon that led to her marrying husband Kris. To ease Kris’ commute to Livonia, Sharon discovered the lovely, family-friendly community of Chelsea, which reminds her a bit of up north with its access to lakes and trails and charming shops.
Meanwhile, Sharon and Lorri created Michigan Vine and pursued their shared passion to write. Sharon has also written her first children’s book, which she hopes to get published soon, and she has several other book ideas brewing.
The wine experience
So where does the wine come in? Thanks to her mom and dad, Sharon was introduced to wine over holiday hams and turkeys in Charlevoix. Her career travel included many business dinners where bottles of wine were ordered and her taste buds began to really tingle for the taste of wines with regional flair.
A big “Ah-ha… there’s more to wine than just its color” moment came during a camping safari adventure in Tanzania, Africa. On the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater, Sharon and her husband were invited to dine with a savvy, northern California couple who was sharing a Land Rover with them. They ordered a bottle of wine and sent it back because of a bad cork. It was then she realized there’s more to wine than just opening a bottle and filling your glass.
Soon after, she began visiting Michigan wineries, wildly surprised at the selection of wines. Favorites include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and Vignoles in the summer and Shiraz, Cabernets and Merlot in the winter.
Other passions
Sharon is crazy for Broadway musicals, classic rock and 80s music and is totally into her tween daughter’s music. (Hannah Montana rocks!) She is typically reading more than one book at a time and sharing her passion for reading with her daughters. Making time to travel, hike, snowshoe, kayak, mountain bike and simply enjoy nature is also important to Sharon. She's trying to be a gardener and seems to be the most successful at growing pumpkins.
Sharon resides in Chelsea, where she loves raising her daughters, Julia and Makayla. Of course, she will always call Charlevoix home, where her writing blossomed, she built snowmen as tall as eaves and her love for fresh water lakes and four seasons was ignited.
