CIA Alumni Bio
When Stephen Robertson ’72, owner of Hells Canyon Winery in Idaho, told his daughter Bijou “making wine is all about being able to taste, and to really taste you have to learn to cook,” she took his words to heart. She arrived at the CIA armed with a desire to learn all she could about food and wine. She attended Michael Weiss‘ and Steven Kolpan‘s wine classes simultaneously so as to not miss any information. She served as president of the Epicures of Wine club and planned the “Idaho vs. France” wine tasting at which her father’s Hells Canyon wines were pitted against some classic French wines in a blind tasting.
Now Bijou and her two sisters, who focus on marketing and selling, have created Zhoo Zhoo Wines. As a line of lifestyle wines available now in four full-bodied varieties, Zhoo Zhoo selections are targeted to young people who are looking for excellent, affordably priced wines that are approachable and ready to drink immediately. Though the grapes are from Hells Canyon estate, the wines are fashioned by Bijou in her role as official wine maker.
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Chef Bijou Robertson majored in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. She is the winemaker at Zhoo Zhoo Wines in Caldwell, ID.