There she saw Ruth Hennigar, a longtime customer at the Willow Glen wine and cheese shop Finn owns and operates in downtown Willow Glen. Hennigar joined The Grapevine staff last year after leaving her job as vice president of engineering at Palm, and Finn says the decision to ask her employee to become her partner was "a no-brainer."

Besides having been a customer "since day one," Hennigar brings to the table a strong knowledge of wine and winemaking, Finn says.

Hennigar says she's been an oenophile since she moved to California in 1985 and joined a wine-tasting group. "That's how I learned: by tasting and trying," she adds. "Wine is a continual learning experience. There are always new wines and new ways of making wine."

The Grapevine specializes in vintages from small, privately held wineries, about 65 percent of which are located in California. Given her passion for the store's merchandise, Hennigar was at ease moving from a high-tech career to one in high-end retail.

"It's a perfect match for my other skills," she says. " I love to entertain, and introducing people to food and wine is what I do naturally. The biggest hurdle I had was learning how to use the cash register."

Willow Glen resident Hennigar also appreciates her new commute, since she lives within walking distance of the store, which is located at Lincoln and Minnesota avenues.

"Parking is not an issue," she quips.

Hennigar acknowledges that her workaday routine has changed markedly since she gave up programming Palm Pilots for popping corks. "The stresses of the day are completely different: 'Did we get enough wine in?' versus 'We found 50 new bugs today.' But it's still about being a successful business: 'Are we making enough money to pay the rent?'"

Finn says paying rent hasn't been a problem of late, which is part of the reason she asked Hennigar to come on board. "Business was booming the last half of last year," she says. "It was so much better than we expected, especially after the previous six to eight months."

As a former customer, Hennigar says she's not surprised that locals continue to stock their wine cellars even as their stock portfolios may be losing value.

"Customers think of wine and cheese less as finer things than as accessories to their lifestyle," she says.

"We work with happy people," Finn adds. "They come in here because they want to and can afford to. You can hang out and taste wine without any of the downside of going to a pub."

When The Grapevine opened its doors in March 2000, it was strictly a wine shop. After buying out original partner Patrick Rupert about two years ago, Finn added artisan cheeses to the store's inventory.

The store's offerings now include weekly wine-tastings, and customers can sign up for wine and cheese clubs to have the goods delivered to their homes each month.

The Grapevine will celebrate its fourth anniversary on March 25 with—what else?—a wine-tasting. The evening's pours will run $20 per person, and half the proceeds are earmarked for the Santa Clara Valley YWCA. Festivities begin at 7 p.m. For more information, call 408.293.7574.