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Press Room
Who says wine can't pay?
By JESSICA PERALTA
SqueezeOC.com
 You know it's a party when Stephanie Graney gets there. She's got the wine.
The 33-year-old Huntington Beach resident has called wine her passion for 10 years.
"It was my girlfriend Trina in college and 'Melrose Place,'" Graney says of how she got into wine. "We just drank when we watched it. That was our tradition."
Whereas most people spend money when they love wine, Graney's found a way to make some.
For the past year, she's been hosting in-home wine tasting parties through WineShop At Home in addition to her full-time job as a corporate recruiter in Newport Beach. At the parties, she introduces 6-12 wines, talks about the tasting process, pairing the wine with food, the regions the wine is from and a bit of history. People can purchase the wines at the end of the night.
Graney gets a 17-percent commission on sales per party. She also gets a bonus for every person she signs up for the company's wine club. And if she brings in consultants to work under her, she gets a percentage of their commission.
She averages about $500 in total sales per party and so can take home $100 per party. With an average of two to three parties a month, she makes about $300 monthly. Each party is two to three hours in length, but she usually spends an additional two hours preparing.
"I think one of the coolest things about wine is you're never going to know everything," Graney said. "There's always going to be more to learn."
Graney is taking culinary classes and is planning to take a certification program through Laguna Culinary Arts for wine pairing.
Drink up Stephanie Graney's tips
- "Have passion."
- "Have a plan."
- "If no one sees it, they can't buy it."
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