Wine Industry Advisor has expanded its Wine’s Most Inspiring People (MIP) articles into a monthly series. We will be profiling individuals from within our industry who showcase leadership, innovation, determination and inspiration — both within the industry and in society at-large. If you would like to nominate someone for MIP consideration, fill out the form here.
Wine’s Most Inspiring People: Kimberly Noëlle Charles, DipWSET
– Connecting People Through Wine and Community
By Laurie Wachter
Four decades of helping wineries tell their stories have only deepened Kimberly Noëlle Charles’s connection to the industry — and her passion for its community.
Backed with a degree from Georgetown University and DipWSET accreditation, Charles quickly made her mark in the world of wine communications. She was running public relations for wine importer Kobrand Corporation by the age of 26, moved to California to head communications for Ernest Gallo and the Gallo of Sonoma launch, and then built the wine division at Havas Advertising’s Magnet Communications West. Then her career took an abrupt turn.
“I got hit by an economic contraction in 2001,” Charles recalls about being laid off. “Everything came to a screeching halt with only 24 hours’ notice. Then, one of my clients called me and said, ‘We didn’t hire the agency, we hired you. So go hang a shingle.’ I told myself that one client was all I needed.”
That client was Fess Parker, who was thrilled with “the most press he’d had since Hollywood,” after she got his coonskin cap into the National Museum of American History for the 50th anniversary of the Davy Crockett show. Charles Communications Associates grew from there — one client at a time.
Building community
What’s striking about Charles is her ability to connect with people — to speak with clarity and listen with an openness that invites others in and establishes mutual respect. With clients, she helps solidify a vision that sharpens how a winery communicates while remaining faithful to its ethos. And her attention to detail brings those visions to life, helping propel her clients to success.
Charles forged just such a relationship with Domaine Carneros founder Eileen Crane, and transitioned seamlessly when Remi Cohen stepped in as CEO. “She really gets our brand and helps us engage the right partners,” Cohen says, “to get our brand and story out there, inclusive of our brand values — sustainability, women in leadership, diversity and, of course, our excellence in making méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine.”
The trailblazing wine journalist Dorothy Gaiter, now senior editor of the Grape Collective, describes Charles’ spirit of community. “Kimberly is deeply empathetic. Her superpower is the ability to create a caring community. I saw just how effective she was at this during the 2017 wildfires and other later conflagrations, when she helped energize colleagues and friends to come to the aid of people who had lost so much in such a horrific way. Appealing to our better angels, she provided ways to help people in dire need.”
Walking the walk
Charles has also served on numerous boards and led communications for charitable organizations, including her current role on the board of the Glancy Wine Education Foundation. Last year, she joined The Wine Bible author Karen MacNeil and fellow publicist Gino Colangelo in launching MacNeil’s brainchild, Come Over October, to encourage wine lovers everywhere to share wine in honor of its historic legacy as a beverage that brings people together. The campaign was highly successful, generating 1.9 billion unique visitor impressions (UVMs).
Speaking of Charles, MacNeil says, “I’ve known her for 40 years. She’s rare in the world of public relations and marketing. She’s focused, intense and extremely intelligent. She is highly knowledgeable about wine, bringing a deep understanding of what her clients need. Those qualities, along with her determination, have made her very powerful.”
During her time in the wine industry, Charles has built more than a career. She’s created connections that will stand as her legacy.
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If you would like to nominate someone for MIP consideration, fill out the form here.
Laurie Wachter
Laurie Wachter writes about the food and beverage industry from her home in California wine country, drawing on over 40 years of experience in consumer behavior and analytics at MSA, Circana, Catalina and other companies.
