Lexington, KY - As I pulled into the gravel entrance of Equus Run Vineyards on Moores Mill Road, I could see the aged, muddy tractor ahead, parked near the barn. In the hot sun, working with a wrench on one side of the tractor's engine was vintner Cynthia Bohn, managing to look fashionable in jeans and crisp white shirt, hair pulled into a ponytail. That was my first meeting with Bohn, who admitted she'd rather be having a Sauvignon Blanc lunch with sushi but has no time for lunch. Easy to imagine when you have a vineyard to run and you're travelling the world for IBM at the same time.
In the mid 90's, while teaching an IBM business course at Harvard, Cynthia Bohn read a case study of the California-based Mondavi wines, and her mind began to wander: Why not a Kentucky vineyard for my retirement?
Bohn, who says she's a "Triple Type A" personality, had years to go before retirement, but she wasted no time. She researched the winery business, partnered with a friend to purchase land in Woodford County, planted the grapes, and opened the vineyard in 1998. "Now, eleven years later, I'm the sole owner, winemaker, public relations poster child, marketing department, visionaryÖ and, affectionately, own all the debt and pay the bills!"
She describes herself as a shy child who dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Her family discovered her talent for marketing, however, when Bohn persuaded her fellow 3rd grade students to buy a peach seed from her and grow a tree. In the fifth grade, she built a water-driven, battery-operated motor, demonstrating her latent engineering abilities. But it was a Louisville high school drama/speech teacher who helped her become more sociable and extroverted. "Ms. Hargreaves encouraged me to explore and learn, and we are friends to this day," Bohn says fondly.
With degrees in theatre, broadcast engineering, industrial and educational technology, Bohn was prepared to work at anything that interested her. Her career began, however, as a telephone technician and pole lineman with AT&T. "I had dreamed of soaring into space, and here I was climbing poles!"
After AT&T, she moved to IBM to work in customer engineer electronics and, ultimately, international marketing in Europe and Asia. "The biggest challenge of my life has been starting this vineyard and winery while still working full-time at IBM. I couldn't have done it without the support of family and friends. I love the social aspect of the winery, with guests coming from all parts of the world. The only thing I don't like is sanitizing the tanks," explaining that she crawls through an 18" x 24" door into the tank and cleans with a caustic soda ash chemical. "It wreaks havoc with my skin, so I invest heavily in Jergen's lotion," she laughs.
Bohn retired in February and intends to spend full time on her vineyard and pursue her love of hiking. Three days after the retirement, she headed for the California wine country to hike the hills and taste the wines.