Gardner High School grad comes home to share award-winning Lumen wines

It was wine-o-clock for about four hours in Gardner on Thursday.

Anthony’s Liquor Mart on Pearson Street was the site of a wine-tasting event for a Gardner High School graduate who has become a successful winery owner in California.

Kali Kopely, who grew up in Gardner and graduated from Gardner High School in 1994, held a meet-and-greet at the store, so that local wine enthusiasts could sample some of the wines she and her husband, Will, have created over the past few years. Their award-winning Lumen wines, which are available at Anthony’s as well as at the couple’s own wineries and restaurants in the North Tahoe region of California, include such types as Chardonnay, Grenache and Pinot Noir.

First wine pouring in Gardner

Kopley, who moved to California when she was 24, said Thursday’s event was her first wine pouring in Gardner.

“I reached out to a couple of friends that I went to grade school and high school with, so we’ll see how many people come and hang out and drink wine,” she said. “But so far, I’ve given everybody who’s tasted it a little California wine education, and they’re buying the wine and loving it.”

Being the owner of a California winery was something of a surprise to Kopley, who said that after graduating from high school, she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do with her life. In 2001, she applied for a job as a social worker with Catholic Charities in California, a job that led her to Lake Tahoe. That’s where she discovered an exciting career in the food and wine industry, which eventually led her to owning her own award-winning Lumen wine brand.

Her first wine shop, located in Olympic Valley, was called Uncorked.

Lumen's light taste

Among those who sampled Lumen wine at the event was Kathy Perry, who said Kopley’s product had a light taste.

“It doesn’t have too strong of a flavor – the words ‘light’ and ‘smooth’ come to mind,” Perry said.

“That’s good! I’ll take it,” Kopley said of the review.

The Gardner pour wasn’t her only local sales stop during this trip, Kopley explained.

“Last night, I poured Lumen in Boston at the new Raffles Hotel and Residences,” Kopley said. “Pretty swanky.”

A happy homecoming

The homecoming wasn’t entirely just for business, said Kopley, who added she took a little time for herself to visit some happy locations from her youth in the Chair City.

“I ran around Dunn’s Pond today before I came here, and it just feels so nice to be back here in Gardner – it does feel like a homecoming,” she said, adding that it had been over 20 years since she last visited the park. “It used to be my favorite place to jog.”

Meanwhile, it’s been quite a ride for the GHS graduate who first headed west at age 29 with the hopes of opening her own business.

The time of her life

“My first wine shop was a risky decision, but I was determined to make it work,” she said. “I spent countless hours working, tasting wine and learning about wine regions around the world. The wine industry was something I fell into, there was so much to learn. There is always something new to learn, grape varieties or techniques in wine making.”

But Kopley said the past 30 years have been the time of her life.

“Honestly, I would do it all over again – the food and wine industry has been so exciting,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Gardner native brings her Lumen wines to Anthony's Liquor Mart