Rebecca Wasserman-Hone
A white woman with curly grey hair, hand on cheek, wearing glasses
Rebecca Wasserman-Hone, from a 2003 newspaper profile
Born
Rebecca Louisa Rand

January 18, 1937
New York City
DiedAugust 20, 2021(2021-08-20) (aged 84)
Beaune, France
Other namesBecky Wasserman
Occupation(s)Wine expert, importer, promoter
SpouseRussell Hone
Children2

Rebecca Wasserman-Hone (January 18, 1937 – August 20, 2021) was an American wine expert, importer, and promoter, based in France.

Early life

Rebecca Louisa Rand was born and raised in New York City,[1] the daughter of Louis H. Rand and Yolanda Y. Dragoș. Her father was a stockbroker; her mother was a ballerina with the Romanian Royal Opera House.[2] She graduated from Hunter College High School, and then briefly attended Bryn Mawr College. She had musical training as a harpsichordist, and studied composition.[3]

Career

Wasserman moved to Burgundy in 1968 with her husband and young children, and lived on a farm in Bouilland. After a divorce,[4] she worked with a neighbor to sell oak barrels to American wineries.[5] In time, she became a wine agent, initially for a California importer, Kermit Lynch. She founded her business, Le Serbet (later Becky Wasserman & Co.), in Beaune in 1979.[6][7] In 1997 she became a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole, for her services to Burgundy farmers. She was honored with the Decanter's Hall of Fame award in 2019.[8]

Wasserman-Hone was credited with promoting awareness of the products of artisanal vineyards in Burgundy to Americans and other markets.[9][10][11] She had little patience for fussiness about wines, saying "A wine is not to be discussed, it is to be drunk and give happiness and joy and a nice feeling to people."[3]

Personal life

Rebecca Rand married three times. Her first husband was Dennis Andrew; they divorced. Her second husband was artist Bart Wasserman. They had two sons before they, too, divorced. Her third husband was a British wine expert, Russell Hone. They married in 1989. After several years of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,[8] she died in Beaune in 2021, aged 84 years.[3][12]

References

  1. ↑ Joseph, Robert (September 1, 2021). "Becky Wasserman – A lengthy and entirely personal tribute". Meiningers Wine Business International. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  2. ↑ "Yolanda Dragos Married; Dancer Wed on Nov. 9 to Louis H. Rand of New York". The New York Times. 1935-11-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  3. 1 2 3 Green, Penelope (2021-08-28). "Rebecca Wasserman-Hone, Who Put Burgundy on the U.S. Map, Dies at 84". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  4. ↑ Asimov, Eric (2021-09-02). "A Farewell to Becky Wasserman, a Great Sage of Burgundy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  5. ↑ Meuse, Stephen (2003-05-21). "An American Finds Success in Burgundy". The Boston Globe. p. 72. Retrieved 2021-12-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Gaither, J’nai (2021-08-24). "Burgundy Icon, Advocate and Mentor, Becky Wasserman, Dies". Wine Enthusiast. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  7. ↑ Morago, Greg (2004-03-11). "Ministering to the Needs of Fussy Burgundy Drinkers". Hartford Courant. p. 68. Retrieved 2021-12-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Button, James (2021-08-23). "Burgundy broker Becky Wasserman-Hone dies". Decanter. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  9. ↑ Eunice Fried, Burgundy: The Country, the Wines, the People (Harper & Row 1986). ISBN 978-0060390495
  10. ↑ Scoblionkov, Deborah (1988-02-28). "A business of believing in better Burgundy". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 185. Retrieved 2021-12-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Stewart, Cissy (1986-04-06). "Wine Tasters Enjoy the Fruits of her Labor". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 66. Retrieved 2021-12-03 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Sanderson, Bruce (August 21, 2021). "Becky Wasserman, American Champion of Burgundy's Small Wineries, Dies at 84". Wine Spectator.
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