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When Terry Rogers decides to do something, her passion takes over. She was a ski racer, so naturally she became an instructor. She had a show dog, and then there were the seven Maltese pets. Flying? Sure, she's a licensed pilot.
But while all those passions have come and gone, one remains. Terry loves wine. Selling it. Starting out as one of the first female salesman for a distributor, she broke into the business in 1978 at the age of 22. "Once I stopped [selling to shops] I knew I wanted to stay in the wine business," she says with a broad, warm smile.
And stay she did. Eventually she bought Connecticut Liquors on King Street. With that purchase in 1986, she and her husband, Philip Matthews, moved to Greenwich from Bayside, Queens, and settled in a spot above the store.
Three years later, she got the chance to buy Horseneck Wine & Liquors. "I honestly believe this is the only [longstanding] store in Greenwich that has been in its original location since its inception," she says of the business that's been at 25 Putnam Ave. since 1934.
From the wood floor to the shelves and even some wine cases dating back decades, much has remained. Even the cuckoo clock is original. "My plan is to continue to build the name and reputation that Horseneck has always had in this town," Terry says.
In addition to trips around the world to make sure her shop stocks wines for casual drinkers and collectors alike (there's that 1888 Lafite in her showcase, those $5,000 bottles of 2002 La Tache heading to a buyer, as well as $4 bottles), Terry gives her time to charities around town and nearby.
Whether it's Adopt-A-Dog, the Bruce Museum's Land Trust, Caramoor or the Greenwich Riding and Trails Association, Terry likes to help out.
And there's one more passion Terry has added to her list: Golf. And while she admits she won't be confused with a pro, her name has been linked to Tiger Woods in an odd way.
Seems when the scandal broke over Tiger's, shall we say, indiscretions, a woman named Theresa Rogers stepped forward to announce she had bore the golfer's love child.
"A customer said to me, 'you never told me about Tiger Woods,' " Terry says. Having no idea what she meant she mentioned it to her manager. "He Googled it and my name comes up," she says, of how she found out.
And as it happens, there was even a website recently that stated, complete with photo, that Terry was the woman linked to Tiger. But Terry didn't seem too bothered. She just laughed it off. What really matters to her is the wine.
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