Travel Has Vintage Appeal

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When Grant Kirkpatrick, partner at architecture firm Kirkpatrick Architects in Marina del Rey, decided to make his four-acre plot of land in Paso Robles into a vineyard seven years ago, his wife, Shaya, had an idea.

“We made it a point to focus our travels on the great wine regions of the world,” Grant Kirkpatrick, 50, said.

The couple often travels, but in the last two years they have switched gears and visited France’s Rhone wine region, Tuscany in Italy and, most recently, Mendoza in Argentina. Now, the two are planning an April trip to visit Santorini in Greece.

“Every time you crack a door when you learn about wine it opens into 10 more doors,” he said.

So far, Kirkpatrick’s favorite trip has been to France, where he was able to tour different vineyards, hike and enjoy food and wine pairings.

“You get to experience the passion (for wine) and the history. It’s really pretty great,” he said.

Realty’s Reality

When Mark and Shauna Mattis aren’t talking about the logistics of shuttling their three kids around town – to sports practices, school functions and sleepovers – they’re often talking about commercial real estate.

Mark, 51, is a senior vice president in the L.A. office for Houston firm PM Realty Group. Shauna, 47, is a senior vice president at Brentwood brokerage Wilson Retail Group. The two married 19 years ago in September.

Though each focuses on a different niche of the real estate industry – he on office and industrial sales; she on retail leasing for landlords and tenants – Mark said they find their work overlaps just enough to keep things interesting. But while it’s nice to have common interests, he conceded that sometimes having a partner who works in the same field can be a bit much.

“One thing we have to be conscious of is sometimes I’ll come home celebrating or sometimes I’ll come home with my tail between my legs, kicking myself over something,” he said. “At that point I will say, ‘Who am I talking to – a real estate professional or my spouse?’ Sometimes I just want my wife and best friend for sympathy, not advice.”

Staff reporters Subrina Hudson and Bethany Firnhaber contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].

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