Member Spotlight Get to know Kate and Jeremy, new Members after their cross-country move.

Moving RIGHT IN

After a cross-country move, Kate and Jeremy are busy making Watersound Club feel like home

Written By PRATT FARMER

WEAVING ART

into wine, Tarpon Cellars commissions an artist to design a distinctive label for each varietal. O ur Members hail from all parts of the country, and they all have unique stories to tell. Undoubtedly their varied interests, careers and life stories always provide for interesting gatherings, whether it be poolside, on the golf course, tennis courts, or at some other Member event. Meet Kate Gibbons and Jeremy Carter, two of the newest Members to join Watersound Club. This vibrant couple moved across the country from California to Watersound last year during COVID. In short order, they have immersed themselves in the community and are beginning to make an impact.

NOW CALLING Rosemary Beach home, Kate and Jeremy enjoy a late afternoon stroll along the brick-paved sidewalks before stopping to share a Tarpon Cellars wine with friends.

TARPON CELLARS

wines originate in Napa Valley, wellknown for its worldrenowned vineyards.

Jeremy grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, where he played on his high school golf team. After graduation, he moved to Tallahassee and attended Florida State University. “I tried to walk on for the FSU golf team, and my game was not quite where it needed to be,” he says. Realizing that golf would become a part of his other life, Jeremy concentrated on his academic interests, earning a degree in human sciences. “Over time, I became very interested in both the culinary and wine experiences,” Jeremy explains. As time passed, he grew more passionate about the idea of becoming a vintner. As he began to research his options, an opportunity to move to Napa Valley to intern in a vineyard was presented to him. “A family member had a small winery in Rutherford, California, and I jumped at the opportunity to immerse myself in the world of winemaking from grape to bottle,” he says.

According to Jeremy, he quickly learned the value of working with his hands, realizing that winemaking can be incredibly hard work. “There are so many different aspects that go into a good bottle of wine. I find the cycles of the vineyard really connect me to the seasons and nature. At the end of the day, grape growing is farming,” Jeremy says. Within the first few weeks of his internship, Jeremy says that he knew winemaking was in his future. In fact, in short order, he began taking TARPON CELLARS classes in winemaking at UC has a selection of Davis. He also studied at The wines ranging in Culinary Institute of America, price from $20 which provided an even more in-to over $100. depth appreciation for the symbiotic

«relationship between fine wine and excellent food. After completing his internship, Jeremy wanted to even further expand his experience, so he travelled to New Zealand to work with other winemakers at a winery there. “That experience opened my eyes to how universal wine is internationally,” says Jeremy. “There were interns from all over the world who had come to New Zealand to learn more about winemaking. I was one of only two Americans and getting exposed to so many different cultures was one of the best experiences of my life.” When he returned to the United States, Jeremy wanted to create a community around wine, music and philanthropy. “I wasn’t interested in

KATE AND

Jeremy enjoy every opportunity to share Tarpon Cellars wines.

mass production. But I wanted to make wines that people could feel good about drinking,” he says. From this philosophy, the Tarpon Cellars label was born. Today, the label offers something for everyone, from $20 wines to those worth well over $100. The actual labels on the bottles are nearly as distinctive as the wine itself. “We reached out to my friend and artist Charlie Hanavich to paint the labels for our wines. I love the coastal aesthetic, and his father Kevin Linsey is also a Watersound Club Member that I play golf with regularly at Camp Creek,” says Jeremy.

“Tarpon Cellars is a nod to the Southern fish that we all know and love. My family has spent a lot of time on the Emerald Coast, and so I think the name and our labels really exemplify that,” says Jeremy.

Fast forward, and Kate Gibbons enters the picture. Kate, a native of California, met Jeremy in Napa thanks to the dating app, Bumble. “I was so busy in my career with a tech startup in the San Francisco Bay area that I just didn’t have time to do much else,” she says. “My friends had been successful in finding someone who matched their life interests and aspirations. So, I gave it a shot.” They both will attest that they hit it off from the very first date, which included a great culinary experience in Saint Helena, combined with a personal exploration of fine wine, with Jeremy leading the way. “Our chemistry was simply magnetic. Our conversation and laughs never stopped that night and still haven’t to this day,” says Kate.

In 2020, as COVID was impacting the world, both Jeremy and Kate were looking for a way to continue their lives together. “As we started to really target distribution in the South, I wanted to set up a home base down here,” Jeremy explains. “I knew that if Kate saw the white sand beaches along 30A that she would love it as much as I do,” he says. So, after lots of discussion and exploration, the couple decided to pick up and move across the country and plant roots in Florida. “I have always dreamed of being able to spend more time here, and since the majority of our production is during a short span during harvest, it’s wonderful to be able to spend most of the year here,” says Jeremy.

For Kate, the timing was good. The tech startup where she

worked shuttered during COVID, leaving her with a very broad horizon from which she could redefine her career. Kate says she took time off to reflect and to better understand her aspirations in life. It was in this time that she leaned fully into her yoga practice. “I found yoga to be so cathartic for me. It’s really a practice in empowerment through movement,” she says. Kate went on to become a certified yoga instructor, teaching private sessions locally. All the while, with many contacts and a robust skill set, she landed an opportunity to remotely manage a sales and marketing team in San Francisco, giving her the freedom to live anywhere. In July of 2020, Kate and Jeremy picked up their California lifestyle, headed east and planted roots in Rosemary Beach. “We both realized the value of forming new friendships once we got settled. Because our interests and pastime activities are so similar, we just naturally sought to find a venue where people of similar interests and concerns gathered,” Jeremy explains. This tiny sliver of paradise beckoned them.

Once they settled, Jeremy began introducing his wine to many merchants and fine dining restaurants in Florida. “We have been so fortunate that Tarpon Cellars has been embraced by a number of restaurant wine lists in North Florida, Georgia and Alabama, and our wine club continues to grow,” he says. On the other hand, Kate set out to establish herself as a yoga enthusiast and wellness

coach. “I know first-hand how yoga can transform someone because it helped me so much. When you truly step into a practice, you bring that softness and that sense of ease into every area of your life — and I get to share it with other people!” says Kate. According to Kate, yoga helps to soothe the spirit. Since her arrival, she has built up quite a following. “I prefer to schedule one-on-one classes with my clients. In that way, we are able to really connect and dive deep into what the student needs both physically and mentally to grow and manage their mindset. It’s a holistic practice,” she says. Her love of teaching and sharing has been a driving force. TARPON CELLARS One of the common passions both Jeremy and Kate share was a nod to the is a commitment to philanthropy. “I have a nonprofit that’s tarpon, noted fast en route to plant one million trees across the U.S. with for its strength and far-ranging a focus in Florida,” says Kate. She says she wakes up every presence in the day ignited about her project and how her love for nature Gulf of Mexico and can be a driving force for positive impact. “Tarpon Cellars Atlantic Ocean. is also committed to philanthropy, as supporting local communities is already an integral part of our business model,” Jeremy explains. Because Jeremy had an interest in golf and tennis, he and Kate began to explore recreational options. “Jeremy would come home from playing golf at Shark’s Tooth and talk about the beauty of the course and the friendly people. His joy brought me joy too,” says Kate. According to Jeremy, his favorite hole at Shark’s Tooth is #5. “I find that hole to “We have been so fortunate be so peaceful and serene on the water. When I get there, I always that Tarpon Cellars has stop and just soak it in, remindbeen embraced by a number of restaurant ing myself of just how lucky I am to be here,” he says. As soon as they arrived, Jerwine lists in North Florida, emy and Kate decided that they Georgia and Alabama, and needed an experience they could always count on. So, they our wine club continues to sought out a membership in Wagrow.” — Jeremy Carter tersound Club. “We enjoy tennis, golf, sunny pool days with friends and, of course, amazing cuisine,” says Kate. Joining seemed like the right thing to do. Today, when this vibrant and busy couple aren’t sharing a new wine experience or teaching a new yoga class, you most likely will catch them on the course or courts. Wherever it might be, they will be in the thick of things.

Celebrate the joy of living, Celebrate the joy of living, eating and drinking well. eating and drinking well.

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