Instead of focusing on bringing people to the wine, wine should be brought to the people. Now, what does that look like? I’m not entirely sure, but I can tell you of a wine that met me right where I was.

Martha Stoumen (based in Healdsburg, CA) recently released her “Mystery Date” wine. The wine is just that - a mystery date. There are no identifying factors on the label. No vintage. No grape. No location. Just a beautiful bottle meeting you where you are.

I had the pleasure of tasting this in the tasting room. You better believe that I spent a good twenty minutes scrolling through my Diploma notes and digging deep into my mental archive to figure out what it was. Ultimately, I was incorrect but that doesn’t even matter. I loved the wine. I loved it so much that I bought a bottle to share with friends at home. So, in a few weeks, a few of us are gathering to share the bottle and figure out what it is.

If you guess the wine correctly, you may win a prize.

To me, the prize is the wine. It’s a fun little adventure for drinkers of all levels. If you’re an absolute nerd like I am, you’re sifting through all of your theory knowledge to narrow down possible grape varieties. If you’re a casual wine drinker, you get to enjoy the wine without any leading information. If you knew the grape, how would that change your perception of the wine?

A wine like this invites you to experience it and enjoy it. Plainly and simply, that is what wine should be doing. It is the companion to great conversations with even better company.

Do yourself a favor and buy a bottle of this wine, if you can. Experience it. Enjoy it. Enjoy it with friends. Whether you guess the grape correctly or not is irrelevant. The most important part is in the experience. Let it meet you where you are.

here’s to the delightful unknown,

-j

As I was editing it, I started to scratch the surface of what the real issue is behind guests using generative AI to choose their wine versus speaking to the sommelier.

Hospitality.

As Will Guidara quotes in his book Unreasonable Hospitality,

AI is results-driven. You input information, it gives you an answer. You can tailor the answer to your preferences and ta-da! It spits out an answer to your liking. AI is black and white. And the only authentic connection it can draw is to a wifi network.

In hospitality, we are experience-driven. We set the vibe. Every part of the space is a carefully made decision to create a welcoming environment. Career hospitalitarians can sense the slight change in a guest’s countenance when they don’t like something, but are unwilling to admit it. We can feel if a guest is truly adventurous or if they’d rather stick to the rivers and lakes that they’re used to. We guide guests to have their best experience in the space we have built for them.

Beyond getting the thing the guest ordered to them correctly and efficiently, we connect with the person. We end up sharing the reasons why we chose this wine for our wine list. Why we have certain menu items - what the chef’s inspiration was for the dish.

Listen, our world is hurtling towards a wildly disconnected social framework. Yet somehow we’re the most connected we’ve ever been (?) As technology keeps wiggling its way into our daily lives, the pressure to ‘stay connected’ is real. Yet we ‘connect’ to a screen and disconnect from the beautiful world around us. Personally, I’m always finding ways to disconnect from technology. The more intrusive technology becomes, the more I choose to disconnect from it. Luddite-ish behaviour.

I think guests who use generative AI to pick a glass or bottle are worried about making the ‘right’ choice, based on their preferences. And they want that ‘right’ choice to be made as efficiently as possible. That efficiency doesn’t cut out the ‘middle man’ of the somm; it replaces the color of hospitality with the black and white of service. It blows right past the joy of human connection. And, just like that, the guests miss out on the magic.

I’m just saying - put the phone down and have a conversation with someone. Experience the magic of a place. Experience hospitality, not just service.

here’s to connecting irl,

-j

Enter SocialSomm. They partner with wine content creators, educators, and sommeliers to curate their own wine clubs and curated boxes. We’re given freedom in the wines we feature, the price point, the themes, and more. I am very thankful that they have given lil ole me a platform to share the wines that I love so much.

Humbly introducing…The Adventure Club

This wine club showcases what excites me in the wine world. It’s meant to be fun, approachable, and educational. Wine is an adventure to me, and I love bringing more people in for the journey.

For the Adventure Club, I’m placing a specific emphasis on:

• US wineries

• Women winemakers

• BIPOC winemakers

• Unique varieties/blends

• Lesser-known regions

I just finalized the first club shipment and I’m so excited to share these wines. The first club will ship in August, so I’m focusing on refreshing wines for the dog days of summer. Wines that pair well with hanging out on patios and porches on a summer night. Wines for the cookouts. Wines for the pool or the beach or the lake.

Each shipment will come with QR codes to tasting videos from me, as well as information about the wineries and winemakers. My hope is that these wines spark a moment of joy for you the way they did for me.

If you want to join me on this lovely lil adventure or learn more about how the wine club works, check it out here. Can’t wait to meet my fellow adventurers in wine :)

Here’s to more adventures,

-j

Sedale

The Invisible Guest at the Table

There is a new invisible guest sitting at the restaurant table…

Read more

4 months ago · 1 like · 4 comments · Sedale

And Eric Asimov’s article titled “AI Is Coming for the Sommeliers”. A bit of a daunting title, but it did its job by getting me to read it.

Long story incredibly generalised and short, AI advocates tout its usefulness in the typical restaurant interaction between guest and sommelier. Guests can upload pictures of a wine list to an AI platform and ask it to recommend options based on the guest’s preferences. Guests can ask the platform a number of questions to get them to the bottle or glass that they would likely enjoy, easily skirting the potentially awkward conversation with the somm who could try to sell something more expensive or push their tastes.

As a somm and someone who has worked in wine for the past six years, I’m here to say one thing:

put the damn phone down and speak to a human.

We’re in a world filled with screens. Zoom meetings and TikToks and FaceTimes and streaming TV and and and and

We’re getting further away from real face-to-face interactions with each other with each technological innovation. Everything is HERE and NOW and IN YOUR FACE and LOUD and BRIGHT and DISTRACTING. All the while convincing you that the supercomputer in your pocket knows the wine list just as well as the person who built it.

Some probably think this is my desperate grasp at staying relevant in the midst of rapid innovation that threatens to make me and my years of dedication irrelevant. That’s fair to think that - it’s not the case, but everyone is entitled to their opinions. This is more of a desperate plea for people to move technology aside to have genuine interactions with others. To connect with a stranger and allow conversation to naturally flow, however uncomfortable it may be. We’re so connected that we’re disconnected. To me, wine asks you to slow down and be present.

I can only speak for myself. I always encourage people to use the vocabulary they have. I don’t expect (nor want) everyone to wax poetic about a cru Beaujolais and rattle off a list of highly specific tasting notes (tart dark red fruit, peppery spice, bright finish blah blah blah). You want a chillable red? Check out this refreshing red Vinho Verde. You want a crispy white wine? Check out this blend of Italian varieties from California’s North Coast. That’s it. That’s how it’s done. My goal as a sommelier is the pair the guest with the wine. And we get there by having a conversation.

Surely AI can do the same thing without the human interaction. However, it can’t tell you why I chose to put a wine on our wine list. It can’t tell you why this particular producer resonated with me. It certainly won’t tell you that the winemaker is a friend of mine and I’m super proud of the amazing work they’re doing in the vineyard and in the cellar. And one can argue that AI is results-driven, not hospitality-driven.

Here’s to having more conversations,

-j

I was a retail associate at a local wine shop, finally having chosen to go all in on wine after dipping my toe in it three years prior. I’d started the pivot in the fall of 2020 when the world was falling apart and my career as a flight attendant looked unsafe and unstable. I picked up a job at another local wine shop and started learning everything I could about wine. I discovered wine certifications. The me from back then is absolutely in awe of me today - I was not at all interested in going all the way to Diploma back then. I guess I should’ve known better - anyone who knows me knows that doing Diploma is very on brand for me. I couldn’t get enough - everything I learned laid the path for more knowledge to be gained.

By 2023, I’d gotten WSET 3 and had gained a lot of knowledge, not just in the world of wine, but also in many aspects of running a small business (pricing, inventory management, events, basic accounting, marketing, etc). The only thing that was missing at the time was lived experience in a wine region. Many of my colleagues had either traveled to wine regions on their own accord (tough to do on a retail hourly wage) or had gotten the chance to go on a trip put on by a regional association or other wine entity. While I had been to Napa and Sonoma in 2018 with a few girlfriends (it was the most epic trip ever), I had the most basic foundational knowledge about wine back then. And we visited tasting rooms, not vineyards. We spoke with winery ambassadors and tasting room associates, not vineyard managers and winemakers.

Naturally, I needed to know more. So I applied to every trip I could find. A colleague sent me the FLX Riesling Camp link and said “the worst they can say is no.” So I applied. I don’t think I’d even tasted a wine from the Finger Lakes at that time. I knew next to nothing about the region, but I was hungry for knowledge and experience, so I applied.

Much to my surprise, I got it. Three full days of exploring the Finger Lakes, meeting incredible people, and tasting so so so many wines. This experience was the thing that solidified my career pivot into wine and brought more colour to everything I’d learned about wine thus far. It’s one thing to look at vine pruning and training techniques in a book - it’s another to actually see it being practiced. We know that bodies of water are moderating influences, but to see the vastness of Seneca Lake and how vineyards are positioned on its banks made all the studying make sense. I finally had a feeling of the vineyards, the wineries, and the region.

In addition to all the knowledge gained, I met the most amazing wine professionals while there. Somms and wine directors from different cities scattered across the country. Winemakers and vineyard managers who are steeped in passion for what they do. This trip opened my eyes to the immense number of opportunities and paths in the wine industry. It also showed me the heartbreaking side of being in a region where climate is changing so much. Shortly after Riesling Camp 2023, the region experienced a very late spring frost. It was incredibly alarming because they had experienced an early budbreak (the first sign of growth in a new vintage). Some producers weren’t affected, some were mildly affected, and some experienced a devastating 100% crop loss.

Last but certainly not least, the wine. You want to taste vintage variation? Get a FLX Riesling from the same producer from 2020, 2021, and 2024. All delicious - all likely wildly different. In my mind, the Finger Lakes is at the forefront of innovation in the wine industry. You’ll find a lot of producers working with native and hybrid varieties, squashing the myth that North American varieties are all foxy and subpar. You’ve just gotta know how to work with them. And one of the best parts about this region is the fact that it’s all pretty small production. In all of the wine places I’d worked up until this point, the ethos was small production by producers doing their best by the land, the grapes, and their people. I knew that but that really clicked for me when I went to the FLX. Vineyard managers told stories of borrowing equipment from neighbouring wineries when their equipment broke down. The sense of community is strong up there. It’s very much a rising tides raises all ships mentality.

Would it surprise you to hear that I haven’t been back (yet)? Hoping to rectify that this year. But my passion for this region is neverending.

This trip has led to more trips, each of which has enriched my knowledge greatly. You can find my recap of the Washington Wine Road Trip below.

For me, it all started with the Finger Lakes. And no matter where I go, I’ll be singing their praises. I have Riesling Camp and the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance to thank for the incredible snapshot of one of the best places for wine in the US.

To all my wine trade professionals, if you haven’t applied for one of these trips before, do it. The experience is incredibly worth it. To my industry-adjacent and curious folks, plan a trip. Ask questions. Go off the beaten path. Talk to winemakers.

To exploring the best of what domestic wine has to offer,

-j

I had that pink sticky note above my laptop in my office ever since the spring of 2025, when I started my intense study schedule for D3. I looked at it every morning (and almost every night) as I poured over endless pages of notes and maps. There are only two things wrong with this sticky note in hindsight: I got my results in February, not January and I passed with a Pass, not Pass with Merit.

For D3, I got a breakdown of the marks for each theory question and each blind tasting flight. Surprisingly, I did better on some questions than I expected and worse on one that I felt very confident on. The flights were basically the same, though I thought I did much better on the mixed bag flight than the mark they gave me. I can see where I probably went a little left of center on one of the theory questions as well as the last two blind flights. All in all, the individual marks don’t matter because I passed the whole thing.

I passed the whole thing. One and done for each exam. That’s insane.

The night of the results announcement, I gathered with friends to celebrate. And it was beautiful. A fitting end to a long journey.

When I started out doing WSET certifications, I never thought I’d end up here. Honestly, I had zero plans to even attempt Diploma, knowing how intense it was. Lo and behold, a few years later, here I am, enjoying the dipWSET postnominal and the space I’ve carved out in the wine community with all this knowledge.

And hey guess what? I’m going to keep on celebrating all year. Because I refuse to let the achievement hamster wheel in my head continue to spin out of control. For those wondering what’s next for me, it’s not Master of Wine. At least not right now. What is next is celebrating. Resting on my laurels. Diving back into things that enrich my life outside of wine. I’ve read so many books since taking D3 and I love it - not stopping any time soon. Taking up the space I deserve. The space I earned. Diving back into community and helping others along their path in the wine industry. Making more connections. Traveling. Mapping out my future.

So if you see me, yes I do want to raise a glass of wine to celebrate finishing Diploma. Whether that be tomorrow or 6 months from now.

Watch this space. I’m just getting started…

-j

I find the report a fairly succinct snapshot of the US wine industry’s broad wins, losses, and areas of improvement. After spending a day or two reading it and analysing it myself, I wanted to share my thoughts on it — what insights I’ve gleaned from it and how I see it affecting my sphere of influence. This is by no means a comprehensive summary - just what stood out to me.

This is a courteous reminder that these are my thoughts and opinions, based in experience across different sectors of the wine industry and general inference skills. There are some generalisations made. In the future, I’ll be putting similar posts behind a paywall because this is a lot 😅

what’s on the horizon

• Wine consumption and demand is down…still

  • This is not news, but a continuation we’ve seen in the industry post-COVID. It has been in steady decline. The SVB is predicting that this decline will likely plateau in the next two years. There are many factors that play into this decline: a massive oversupply of bulk wine, intergenerational drinking habits changing as boomers age out of the market and millennials/older Gen Z come into their prime, the rising trend of neo-prohibitionism in the name of health.

  • We also have a massive oversupply of wine in the US. Namely, this involves the cheapest options out there (<$12/btl), but an oversupply nonetheless. I think we’re seeing a right-sizing of supply as grapes hang unharvested and bulk juice/wine goes unpurchased on the spot market. There’s more to this than that (e.g. how much acreage is under contract), but it’s too much to get into here. It’s unfortunate, but kind of a much needed balancing of the scales.

  • This means that wineries and wine-based businesses must get creative in marketing and product offerings in order to survive the continuing decline. The report mentions simplification and reduction of SKUs as a way to navigate this trend.

• The direct-to-consumer channel remains a crucial element to sustained business and potential growth in the US wine industry

  • DTC accounts for about half of an average winery’s revenue, according to the report.

  • DTC can get dicey for out-of-state consumers because each state has its own regulations around alcohol, who can sell it, and how consumers can buy it (thanks, three-tier system 🙄). This Wine Enthusiast article puts it plainly. Regulations differ between wineries and retailers, with some states banning DTC sales outright and some allowing winery-direct but not retailer-direct. This is a whole different topic for another post, honestly.

  • The report discusses the importance of wine clubs for sustained profit. And with that, wineries cannot just rely on the fact that they have a wine club as an incentive to sign up. Gone are the days when waiving tasting fees was the ultimate driving factor in new wine club member conversions. Consumers want to experience value over and over again. Why am I a member? What value do I receive as being a part of this community? These are the questions I ask myself when considering a wine club. To me, it’s not just about liking the wines. It’s about supporting a small producer and helping them continue to tell their story. It’s being able to connect with them when they’re in my city (a huge benefit, if you’re able to swing it). So, I’d ask producers - how are you providing consistent value to your club members? Especially those out-of-state?

  • The report also mentions that it is important for producers to meet their consumers where they are instead of relying on consumers and club members to travel to them. A great example of this: a winemaker friend of mine has found great success in getting his wines featured in local farmers’ markets around the state. It’s kind of a massive logistical lift, but one that results in more market presence and likely new consumer conversions.

  • Tasting rooms are incredibly important revenue drivers for producers, but not everyone can have or wants to have a tasting room. It’s an immense amount of overhead for small producers (rent, staffing, maintenance, etc). So those who do have tasting rooms, what makes them exciting? How do you stand out from the rest in your area? The report notes the importance of hospitality over sales in tasting rooms. How are you exhibiting hospitality? Where are you lacking? (Need help? DM me 😊). The report mentions differentiating tasting rooms experiences based on consumer desires. Not everyone wants to know the story behind the winery - they just want to drink the wine. Not everyone wants to just drink the wine - they want the story behind it and all the nerdy details. Knowing how to cater tasting room offerings to different kinds of consumers is key to outlasting this dismal time in the industry.

  • The great thing about tasting rooms is that they can be anywhere. Having one in an urban setting can help expand a producer’s customer base by meeting people where they are. However, this also comes with its own logistical and financial concerns (more expensive rents, further away from the production facility, staffing, maintenance, etc).

• The generational shift in drinking culture is also contributing to the decline

  • The report notes that younger people (age 29 and under) are “engaging with drinking differently.” For example, these consumers buy bottles of wine as gifts rather than for themselves to drink. Anyone who has worked wine retail knows how difficult this situation can be to navigate. This group also has the largest subset of non-drinkers, so there’s that.

  • This is a group of people who’ve basically never known freedom from marketing. Whether subtle or direct, this age group especially has grown up with screen time and empty space turned into advertisements. I imagine it’s incredibly difficult to break out in this age group when everything is viral and virality lasts but a second.

  • We’re fighting against this slow rise of neo-prohibitionism. We’re seeing it from all angles. You’ll find throughout the history of humanity that we as a species has always found a way to make a fermented beverage - whether the government deems it permissible or not. I see neo-prohibitionism as another form of mass control by governing entities. It’s never about the alcohol itself.

basically it all comes down to…

Adapt or die. That’s the sentiment that I got after reading through the report. The most successful producers during this time will be the ones who creatively ride the waves and adapt to the changes in the industry. And honestly, I feel like this has been the move for the last few years.

We haven’t seen rock bottom yet, but we are (hopefully) through the worst of the decline. I’m curious to see how wineries across the country innovate new ways to retain market relevance. Also curious to see how what drinking trends develop this year.

I read through this as a way to dip my toe back into something researchy and academic that wasn’t studying for a WSET exam. And I’m glad I did. I learned a lot more than I wrote about here - this would be wayyyy too long if I outlined all my learnings - but happy to share a few things with the world. Hopefully you found this interesting and/or insightful.

more to come,

- j

I find a lot of these very amusing because there really is only one trend in wine that matters…

drink wine.

That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Keith Beavers said it.
Letters from Southold said everything that needed to be said here.

It’s not about a certain style becoming popular - we’ve done that already with rosé, orange wine, pet nats, piquettes, chillable reds, blah blah blah. In my opinion, all a style trend does is invite mediocre versions of that style into the market as producers try to make money off the trend. Ask me about skin-contact Chardonnay and I’ll talk your ear off. I don’t want another style becoming trendy - it’s been run into the ground.

We need to make wine less precious. Because why not have a glass of wine with your Trader Joe’s Teriyaki Chicken on a Tuesday night? Bust out that bottle you’ve been saving for a special occasion and make today special. Gather a few friends together and split a bottle while you enjoy each other’s company. Allow your curiosity to be piqued when you come across a bottle that makes you think. Drink wine outside of your comfort zone and allow yourself to be surprised. Drink wine inside your comfort zone and remember why you like what you like. Ask sommeliers why they have that particular bottle on their list (seriously i love talking about this - ask meeee). Go into a wine shop with $20 and ask the associates for the most interesting bottle at that price (honestly loved doing this when i worked in retail). Instead of trying to squeeze into the Burgundy and Bordeaux markets, discover the same styles (and quality!) in the Southern Hemisphere (probably stepping on some toes here, but they can handle it).

Wine is a great facilitator - relaxation, community, learning, curiosity. Wine invites us to ask questions and dive deeper - into it, ourselves, others, the world. Let’s go on that journey more often…

In this day (in this economy), a trend is less important than simply participating. We’re so focused on the next best thing that we overlook the best things sitting in front of us. I’m guilty of it too, as look over my 100+ bottle collection that is begging to be pillaged in the name of good times. So my friends will be getting some invites soon.

I want to keep writing more, but this is really it. Drink more wine. Make it less precious. Be a little curious about it.

Here’s to drinking more wine,

-j

To say that 2025 has broken me several times over is an understatement. Metaphorically, spiritually, (maybe even physically) crawling to the end of this year.

This was the year that I would sit for my last two Diploma exams and hopefully be done with the two year journey of the most stressful, yet rewarding academic experience I’ve ever had. Trust me, this was more difficult than my Masters in Global Diplomacy. And that programme wasn’t easy by any means. I’ve learned more about wine than I previously thought possible. And it’s brought me to a place where I feel like I truly know nothing. The more you know, the more you realise you don’t know.

This was also the year that I decided to do something that I’d never done - work in a restaurant. Oh, it’s not just any restaurant job, but a brand new concept. With me at the helm as General Manager and Sommelier. Wild. Ever learn your own job while learning everyone else’s at the same time?

Some dear friends politely suggested that I push back D3 to May 2026 as to maintain some semblance of stability and rest in my life. Naturally, they were concerned about the level of intensity my studies required while also doing something I’d never done before professionally. Of course I didn’t listen to them and continued on a path to true burnout. I should’ve listened to them. I’m too stubborn for my own good sometimes.

The slow, steady crawl of my tattered body and soul to the end of this year was my own fault. Of course I burned out. Several times. It was cyclical - a few months of treading water, followed by a few weeks of crashing out. Rinse, repeat. Finally breaking that cycle taught me to find comfort in the imperfect, as well as reprioritize certain things in my life.

My word for 2025 was confidence. Something I’d lacked in any true capacity for my entire life. I decided that I had to have confidence to make it through 2025. To attempt the exams. To do my job well. To lead. Honestly, I wouldn’t have made it without finding confidence within myself. Every time I cried in the bathroom (so many times), every morning I woke up extra early to study (too many to count), every time I wanted to unsubscribe from humanity (theoretically, not actually. I promise there’s nothing to worry about here), every time I wanted to give up has become the foundation of my confidence. Simply because I didn’t give in and give up. I kept going.

To balance things out, 2025 wasn’t all bad. In fact, there was a lot of good to come out of this year. I’ve met some incredible people this year, many of whom I believe will be lifelong friendships. I got engaged. I passed my D4 exam. We built the best team at my job - I’m blown away by the local and national support for our lil slice of the city. I visited friends out in California and introduced Danny to more of what I love in the wine world. I started learning new skills. I sharpened existing skills. I’ve gotten a lot of great opportunities in the wine world which are laying the groundwork for even more exciting things. So it wasn’t all bad. And if it weren’t for these people, these moments, I don’t know if I would’ve made it through this year.

I don’t know why I’m saying all of this. Perhaps as an example of what not to do when you’re faced with a lot of big things on the horizon. Conversely, perhaps as an example of the old expression fuck it we ball - truly going after everything that you want, regardless of the cost.

I needed to wrap a bow around this (generally) fuckass year. To look back and be grateful for who and what carried me through one of the toughest years in my recent history. To realise that hey i can do this when faced with big things. To take the lessons learned and greet 2026 with an expectant and joyful heart.

here’s to 2026 being way more chill,

- j

Decompressing is difficult - more difficult than I had anticipated. I’m already so programmed to get up early and study. And now I don’t have to. It’s hard to break that pattern.

day one: theory

I’d slept horribly the night before. My nerves were shot. I chugged some coffee, and arrived to the school early and tried to go over some last-minute notes. That was an exercise in futility - my eyes glazed over with each page I turned. My prep about two weeks leading up to the exam had been much of the same - couldn’t focus on anything.

The theory day is broken up into two sections with an hour-long lunch break in between. The first section was 2 hours long and the second section was an hour and 20 minutes long. In the first section, you’re given four questions and get to omit one. In the second section, you’re given three questions and get to omit one for a total of five answered questions. You have to get a 55% on this section (all five questions combined) to pass theory.

The questions are below:

I omitted questions 4 and 7, as I didn’t feel confident in my ability to completely answer either of those.

You’re taught to allot about 40 minutes per question to outline and write your response. After the first section, my hand cramped up so much. I feel like no amount of preparation can touch the stamina you need to physically write everything needed in the timeframe given. After the second section, I nearly had a blister form from holding my pencil.

day two: tasting

For tasting exams, it’s important to set yourself up for success and not have anything that would skew your palate. So, I didn’t end up brushing my teeth with toothpaste until about 4pm that day. I had my coffee very early in the morning, then calibrated my palate with a Barossa Valley Semillon after breakfast. There wasn’t really anything to study at this point - just do the damn thing.

Like theory, the tasting portion is broken up into two sections. The first section were the grape variety and country flights. After an hour-long lunch break, the second section started with the regional and mixed bag flights.

The exam wines (released a day after the exam) are below:

The first section had me feeling great. I nailed the grape variety and country flights. I stuck my nose in the first three wines and when I got to wine 3, I knew it was Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Wine 2 had to be Napa because it had some evidence of oak. I called Wine 1 Bordeaux Blanc instead of Pouilly-Fumé - not a bad miss.

Again, smelled the whites of the country flight before the red. Wine 4 smelled like lime and petrol (classic for Clare/Eden Valley Riesling). Wine 6 smelled incredibly familiar - just like the wine I’d calibrated with in the morning. I was like “this smells like a car tire….OH THIS IS HUNTER VALLEY SEMILLON.” Truly a gift. The Cab had that classic eucalyptus note that brings me to Australia. Another fun fact - I was blinded on that exact Coonawarra Cab about a month before the exam.

So, felt great after those two flights. Had lunch. Then had to lock in for the last two flights.

At this point, my mind was slowly losing focus. It’s difficult to stay that focused for that long over a span of two days. The regional flight gave me trouble, and this is truly where I started to unravel. The alcohol felt high and I was getting a ton of red fruit but not much of any carbonic maceration notes, so I started my deductive reasoning process. I landed on Veneto and called them all Valpolicella wines. Maybe not a bad miss as I likely picked up points in my descriptions of the wines.

The mixed bag is rough because it can be anything. Wine 10 felt like an Albariño to me (not a bad miss from Vinho Verde). I nailed the Rioja Reserva. And honestly for shiggles, I called Wine 12 Xinomavro - I mean I wasn’t going to call it Valpolicella because I’d just called that in the regional flight. I was struggling with placing it, and given the structure, it felt like Xinomavro to me 🤷🏽‍♀️

Hopefully I’ve picked up enough points to pass both theory and tasting. I don’t find out results till January, so I’ve got to put all of this in the back of my mind and learn to enjoy the free time I now have.

I came home to many congratulations and celebrations. I am so incredibly thankful for the community of folks around me who have helped me to get here. I am so humbled by everyone’s support and encouragement.

Here’s to passing these exams and becoming a dipWSET in January,

- j

I've had my nose in the D3 textbook since last winter. I started off slowly, then gradually ramped up to where I am today - daily studying with blind flights thrown in here and there. I’ll ramp up the blinds a little bit closer to the exam. To be honest, I am more confident in my tasting ability (and my ability to write a solid tasting note) than I am with theory.

The thing with theory is not the content itself. To me, all of this information is easy to understand. It’s the sheer amount of information required for this exam that is the daunting part. For example, I’ve been studying Spain for the past week, so I’m feeling alright answering questions about Spain. But Argentina? Australia? China? I got nothing for you, chef. I still have plenty of time, but I’m also hoping for questions on grapes/regions/styles that I have a decent enough knowledge base in to crank out a passing mark.

The WSET Diploma programme gives you all of the tools to understand a concept and it’s your job to analyse that concept. Some of it is rote memorization (knowing climates, influences, grape varieties and their unique characteristics, etc.) but the majority of Diploma is application and analysis. You’re not just spitting facts - you’re applying those facts in the context of the question. HUGE shoutout to Amber and Noelle at Elevage Wine Coaching for their help and resources - everything really started to make sense to me when I sought their advice.

Here’s an example question and the things to consider in the response to the question:

What are the characteristics of the Chardonnay grape variety in the vineyard and in the cellar? (40%) Explain how those characteristics contribute to the style and quality of wines in the following: (60%)

• Chablis AOC

• Napa Valley AVA

• Margaret River

So you’re considering the grape variety and what’s special about it:

• Early, mid, or late budding will determine if it’s affected by spring frosts, which will affect yields

• Early, mid, or late ripening will determine how long of a growing season it needs and if it will be affected by autumn rains, which would affect yields and concentration

• Thickness of skins will determine its susceptibility to fungus, rot, and other diseases, as well as the use of skin contact in the winery

• If the variety is vigorous, then it needs careful canopy management, which affects cost

• Is it a high-yielding variety? If so, can it still make high quality wine?

• Is it aromatic? If so, it likely sees inert vessels for fermentation and ageing. If not, it may see oak.

• Is it a reductive or oxidative variety by nature? If so, then grape handling and winemaking techniques must take that into account, from grape reception to bottling. This affects the style of wine.

Then you have to consider the regions listed:

• Cool, moderate, warm, or hot climates? This will determine aroma/flavor profile

• Any cooling or warming influences? These can help with extending the growing season, ripening, etc.

• Any natural influences that can disrupt things? Strong winds, rains, etc.

• Is it flat and fertile, hilly and infertile, or a mix of both? Where are the higher quality grapes grown versus grapes intended for inexpensive wines? (if that’s an option in the listed regions).

• Would winemaker input be higher in any of the regions based on the region’s styles? Oak? Bâtonnage? Lees ageing? Ageing requirements?

• Does appellation legislation dictate how the wines in the regions listed are made?

• Are these places making value-driven wines or wines meant to age? A range of styles? What does that mean for winemaking techniques coming out of these regions?

AND you have to write all of that concisely and coherently in 40 minutes.

As silly as it may sound, the fact that I only have to get a 55% overall in theory and in tasting is comforting. Not that I’m studying just to pass (ya girl is too achievement-driven for that), but I have confidence in myself to get to that mark.

All of the studying has been going on while I’ve been opening a restaurant. A highly anticipated restaurant. Not to mention that this is my first restaurant job 😬. We’re six months in right now and we’ve gotten into a great groove. I’m feeling way more confident in my job and abilities now than I did in February. However, I am pretty busy all of the time.

As things are for a restaurant GM, I am working probably around 60ish hours a week, maybe more. So couple that with the study load for D3 AND taking care of myself and my home (?) AND having a social life (?)….ya girl is tired. Body, mind, and soul. Exhausted. This is extremely on brand for me though. I am known for taking on a bunch of challenges concurrently. Maybe I do that to myself because I want the pressure to help me succeed? 🤷🏽‍♀️

I’m glad I had the foresight to push my exam back to October. There is no way that I could’ve taken this exam in May.

Anyway, that’s where I am. I’m trying to actually look forward to all of this. Not only is it the culmination of everything I’ve learned over the past two years, but it’s also the last exam. Really looking forward to post-exam destressing and enjoying the holidays.

If you think of me, send up some good energy and vibes into the universe on my behalf please. I need it.

here’s to passing marks,

- j

This was a dear memory - me as a child with my mum and sister playing with Troy, my grandparents’ dog, and my Granddad cheekily holding up a bottle of wine.

Then it hit me that both Granddad and Troy are gone - living forever only in my memories.

Grief hits in weird ways.

My granddad passed away last November. He was my last living grandparent. His passing really took a toll on me. I realised the passage of time and the mortality of man. I can easily remember my granddad being full of life and energy - always the gregarious individual. He never knew a stranger. His house parties were epic - there’s video footage somewhere of his 60th birthday party that went late into the night in a sleepy cul-de-sac in Chelmsford. We lived with him and his wife Nancy (basically my grandmother) for a few years during a transitional period in life and those were some of the best years in England that I can remember.

I was there in 2018 when Nancy passed away. My mum and I flew to England to help with arrangements and make sure that Granddad was holding up well. He wasn’t, but he did his best to hold it together during our visit. Soon after, his health declined. I consider myself lucky to still have vivid memories of Granddad being the absolute ray of sunshine and ball of energy that he always was. He truly didn’t lose that until his health declined.

Troy was the goodest boy. A sweet black dog who would rush to the front room window anytime Granddad said “where are the girls?!” Always so gentle and full of life, much like my grandfather. He was the best dog and the best introduction to having a pet.

The first picture took me back to a wonderful moment in time. Maybe 1992? A time that cannot be recreated - only remembered.

Wine is very much the same way. The best wines in the world are perfect snapshots of a time and place, never to be recreated. Terroir, if you will. Hot vintages, cool vintages, soil composition, pruning techniques and decisions, slopes, aspects, threats of rain, pests, diseases, market demands (?), winemaker choices (?), appellation regulations or lack thereof…

All of it leads up to a final product that is a snapshot. It may evolve over time, but its core is still present. Just as a physical photo may fade or crack over time, a wine meant to stand the test of time may evolve into tertiary notes, but the heart of it is still there. You can still tell where it comes from and how the grapes were grown and handled that year. And, to me, the best winemakers in the world are the one who allow the fruit to shine and keep their inputs low.

Nostalgia hits me hard. Going through all of these photos reminded me of great times in my home country. And of course, I long to go back. Every time I leave London, I’m deeply sad. The places I know and love have evolved…but the heart of them is still there.

here’s to remembering the good times and drinking the good wines,

- j

diploma update

In the midst of opening the wine bar, I had to fly to DC to take my D4 Sparkling Wines exam. This was back in January when ATL experienced two snow days - one of which was pure delight. And the other brought me nothing but bad news. On the second snow day, I was scheduled to fly out around 4pm. The snow started around maybe 1pm? I was resting firmly in my delusion that everything would be fine, even though, as a former ATL-based flight attendant, I knew that ATL was a mess when it came to de-icing. And so it was. My flight kept getting delayed into oblivion. After a while, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a ticket on the first flight out the next morning - the day of my exam. Risky move, but it was my last ditch effort to make it to DC for the exam. Otherwise, the retake would be in June and I didn’t want to wait that long.

My first flight finally cancelled, so I had Danny pick me up so that I could get some rest at home before trying again the next morning.

I got three hours of sleep.

I get to my flight in the morning…and it ends up getting delayed…due to de-icing. You can imagine the panic building inside of me. Luckily, the delay was only for about 75 minutes. By the time I landed at DCA, I had three hours to get to my hotel, check in, freshen up, calm down?, and head to the school to take the exam.

Ya girl was frazzled. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I had to prepare for the exam. So I did what I could - turned up my exam confidence playlist, danced around my hotel room, and composed myself enough to take the exam. I don’t think I even looked at my notes.

I showed up. Three wines were poured and the exam papers were handed out. We had 90 minutes. I wrote for the entirety of those 90 minutes. I started with tasting because I knew I could likely knock it out quickly, leaving more time for the theory questions. After the 90 minutes was up, I felt decent about tasting and iffy about theory. There was one question where I had to dig deep to find satisfactory answers.

I guess it worked because I PASSED. Got a pass in theory and a pass with merit in tasting (!!!!) I honestly thought that I was on the fence - like maybe I failed theory but my tasting was enough to pass me for the whole thing but I passed both sections! This win was extra sweet because of all of the bullshit that I had to deal with leading up to the exam. When I found out my results, I was with some dear friends, who bought me a bottle of 2008 Special Club Champagne and celebrated with me. And then I continued to celebrate through the evening. *airhorns*

that only means one thing…

My last exam is D3. Wines of the World. I’m shaking in my boots - it’s nicknamed the Beast for a reason:

• The D3 textbook is ~700 pages and covers all of the winemaking world.

• D3 is weighted 50% of the entire Diploma mark

• The exam spans two days: one tasting exam and one theory exam.

• The tasting exam is four flights of three wines each:

  • one country flight, one regional flight, one grape variety flight, and one mixed bag flight

• The theory exam - taken in two parts, all open-response papers.

I’m taking this exam in October. I knew I’d have to delay taking this exam due to work. I’m glad for the extra time because there is no way in hell I’d be ready to do all of this next month. I’m almost done with my first readthrough of the text, then I’ll dive into maps and synthesizing notes, all while blind tasting at least a few times a week. I’m scared, but I’ve done this whole journey scared. I’ll prepare to the best of my ability and go into October ready to kick D3’s ass.

here’s to doing it scared,

- j

The time period between July and October saw me quickly descend into burnout. I’m sure I’ve dealt with it before, but never to this degree. By the time I’d reached October, I’d become a shell of who I am.

My boyfriend and I have a whiteboard calendar in our house where we map out each month’s work and social schedules. I put all of my working shifts in green marker. The other day, I took a step back and noticed that the vast majority of the month had green writing. Without really knowing it, I’d given myself a measly four days off for the entire month of October between my three jobs. Not to mention social things. No wonder I was losing my mind.

When looking for advice about burnout and overscheduling yourself, someone said that overscheduling yourself is you violating your own boundaries. That rang so true with me. I’d been doing everything for other people and neglecting my own health at the same time. The only person that I could be upset with was myself. I wasn’t prioritising what matters. Now, I’m aware of that and aim to strike a healthy balance because I refuse to pour from an empty cup going forward.

During this time, when I recounted just a few of the things I was dealing with, someone told me that I “wear it so well.” 🥴 I don’t want to wear it so well. Let this be a reminder to check on your strong friends - the ones who wear it well. We might seem fine on the surface, but more often than not, we’re falling apart at the seams underneath it all. (I am extremely grateful for the handful of friends who could tell I was all out of sorts and offered help).

diploma update

I got my D6 results and I passed with Merit! I was a little anxious about these results because the research paper is such a different format from the open-response questions on all the other exams. Glad to have it behind me. Thankful to all the folks I talked to who helped me with research, edits, and proofreading.

I can’t believe that I’ve passed four out of the six Diploma units already. This time last year, I was only studying for D1. WILD.

With all that said, D4 is coming up in January. I haven’t really been studying much since I’ve been healing from burnout and mental distress. In fact, I’m getting back into the groove of studying today. Glad to be back with renewed focus and energy. I wasn’t doing myself any favours trying to study while also working my literal ass off.

D3 is in May, currently. I am heavily considering delaying the exam till October. I am about to start a new job soon and I know it will demand a lot of my time and energy at the beginning of the new year. Rather than trying to take on everything all at once, I might give myself the time and prepare fully. D3 is already an overwhelming amount of information, so I might as well give myself the time it requires to devote to it. The only person who is putting the pressure on finishing this thing asap is me. After going through what I’ve gone through the past few months, I’m okay with slowing things down a bit.

here’s to growth, slowing down, and prioritising what matters,

- j

Before I get into the details, I just want to say that this experience was so expertly designed and executed by the WA Wine Commission. No detail was left out, no issue too minor to address. We were always well-fed, well-rested (well, at least I was 😅), and completely taken care of the entire time. To pull off a feat like this while taking 57 people across the state is nothing short of incredible. All of the kudos to the WA Wine Road Trip team - y’all are legends.

tl;dr

You should read it all, but here are some quick takeaways:

• Washington wine is incredibly diverse - from Albariño to Lemberger to Sangiovese and everything in between.

• 90% of producers in the state make less than 5,000 cases a year. Truly small production.

• A lot of the wineries are on the western side of the state. A lot of the vineyards are central or in the eastern part of the state. Lots of treks between the two!

• The WA wine industry is incredibly community-based. Everyone helps everyone out there. Rising tides lift all boats is 100% the vibe.

• Missoula Floods and diurnal shifts. DRINK.

• Breakfast Syrah is a must.

• Drink WA wine. Look for it. Ask for it. Buy it. Share it with friends.

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day one

We started our journey in Seattle. A few of us got to do a little boat tour of Lake Union and (part of) Lake Washington before Road Trip began - what a lovely way to kick off the trip! Can’t complain about sipping WA Albariño and Roussanne before lunch 😆 This activity also helped me with getting to know a few people before the trip started, so I didn’t feel so alone in a crowd.

Next came the Seattle Regional Tasting, a trade show-type tasting with wineries from the western part of the state. Glad I got to connect with a few producers I already work with, as well as discovering some new gems. Then it was dinner and off to bed!

day two

We headed up to Woodinville for a few events. My winery exercise was at Delille Cellars, a winery focusing on Bordeaux-style blends. Jason took us around the winery and had us participate in a few things like punchdowns and barrel fills. My first experience with punchdowns! That shit is difficult LOL. Much respect for harvest interns - maybe one day, that’ll be me.

Afterwards, we went to Chateau Ste. Michelle for our first seminar on Washington white wines, moderated by Elaine Chukan Brown and Chris Tanghe, MS. Just casually in this seminar with two industry heavyweights, nbd. We tasted WA wines blind against international styles, which was really interesting. From there, we had lunch at Mark Ryan / Long Shadows, then took a 3 hour bus ride over the Csacades and into Richland, WA. I took this opportunity to nap and study D3 LOL.

We had the most amazing sunset dinner at Kiona Vineyards, a stunning winery in the Red Mountain AVA. This dinner had everything - a charcuterie smorgasbord, wood-fired pizzas, fire pits and Adirondack chairs, and moonlit vineyard tours by horse-drawn carriage. An absolutely gorgeous evening. Also, Kiona makes a Chenin Blanc ice wine that is perfection.

day three

Day three started at Two Mountain Winery, where we learned about different Cab Sauv clones and their ripeness. I got to look through a refractometer to see the sugar levels in the grapes, which was super cool. When you’re studying, you always read about this stuff, but it’s so much better to actually witness it. We also got to hang out with Fievel, the coolest winery pup. If I could be reincarnated as a winery pup or kitty in my next life, that would be ideal

Hahahaha our buses all had different themes. My bus on the first day was Spring Roll, so it was v spring-themed. We got these amazing sunglasses 😎

Cab Sauv grapes!

It was on this trip that I learned that these lil inflatable guys are used as bird scarers 😆

Lunch was at the beautiful property at Goose Ridge Estate, where I got the lovely pink cowboy hat that came home with me. From here, we departed to our winery activities. Mine was with Barnard Griffin, which made me so happy because I got to connect with Megan, their winemaker, at a lunch earlier this year in ATL. After that lunch, I loved the wines so much that I brought some to my shelves. Here, we got to destem some grapes, taste fresh Viognier juice, check grapes for ripeness, and chat with Rob Griffin about the use of cultured yeasts in winemaking. Such a cool experience. Didn’t want to leave, so hopefully I’ll be back soon!

The pink cowboy hat 🤠😆

Processing Viognier grapes through the destemmer at Barnard Griffin.

Fresh Viognier juice

This day was packed, but it all flowed together so well. We headed to Browne Family Vineyards for the Columbia Valley Regional Tasting and an epic dinner. I may have found a sombrero. I may have played a round of pool…terribly.

day four

We set off for more vineyard exercises. I went to Klipsun Vineyard for talks about irrigation and grape ripeness. Afterwards, we had an amazing lunch at Bacchus Vineyard before hitting the road to Walla Walla. Once in Walla Walla, it was straight to another winery exercise. This time, it was Va Piano Vineyards, where we got to sort incoming grapes and also do some foot stomping! Another couple of firsts for me, which was incredible. Things like this will stick with me forever.

After a full day, we went to Dusted Valley Winery for the Walla Walla Regional Tasting and an epic last dinner with everyone.

Moonrise!

day five

Just because it was go-home day doesn’t mean that this day wasn’t packed full of activities. We started with vineyard activities - mine was with Sleight of Hand Cellars in the Rocks District AVA. Here, we learned about the ancient riverbed that is now a thriving vineyard site. It looks wild compared to the rest of the vineyards we visited. Those stones go down hundreds of feet! We also had some breakfast Syrah because who doesn’t want breakfast Syrah?! We did some work pulling out weeds to tidy up the vines before heading to the winery and purchasing all of their merch 🤪

From here, we headed to our Washington Reds seminar with Elaine and Chris. I’ll be honest, blinding 12 red wines after having breakfast Syrah was not easy LOL. So many tannins. I think I got every call wrong 🥲 But it was still incredibly informative. From here, it was a final lunch at Walla Walla Vintners before catching the shuttle to the airport.

Boat Trip Friends 🤗

While this is a (somewhat) succinct recap of the trip, what isn’t captured here is the amazingness of the entire group that attended. Professionals from all over the country (even some outside of the country) who came on this trip eager to participate, learn, ask questions, and take knowledge back with them. I literally couldn’t have asked for a better group of professionals. I think I’ve met some new friends on this trip, and for that, I am thankful.

This trip, along with FLX Riesling Camp and SLH Somm Tour, have reinforced the need to drink American wines. Patrick Cappiello has been open and honest about the struggles of being a winemaker in the US and how the domestic market needs to support its wines. I’m taking up that mantle and encouraging all of you to drink more American wines. This is not a knock on wines from anywhere else - this is an effort to help save the livelihoods of people in this country who are making incredible wine. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m figuring out a way to share more about this on IG (guess I’m getting back into content creation LOL).

Here’s to making memories and drinking incredible WA wine,

- j

Fast forward some years later, and here I am, doing the exact same thing. WILD. When I started working in this industry and discovered wine certifications, I joined a local blind tasting group. This was during the pantene pro-v, so we were meeting over zoom and picking up our 2 oz bottles from a friend’s house. The first couple of meetings I attended, I just observed as others talked their way through their grids. Through this practice, I learned how to decipher different aromas and flavours in wine. As time wore on, I practiced more and more until I became confident enough to contribute out loud. I was wrong a lot of the time, but I learned so much in failing out loud. There were a couple of times when I got lucky - calling a Zinfandel down to producer and vintage, calling a Gruner when everyone else was saying Pinot Grigio, etc. But my biggest lessons have occurred when I was dead wrong.

Now, I do weekly blinds (run by the amazing Janeen Jason - jellybeanneen on IG) that have been super helpful in tuning my palate and preparing me for the beast of the D3 exam. Janeen scores our assessments and gives detailed feedback, which is indispensible to my learning. I post my results every week not to toot my own horn (I seem to land around 40ish points out of a possible 50), but to stay accountable to my studies and to hopefully encourage more wine nerds to make blind tasting a regular practice.

My assessment sheet for one of the wines in a previous flight. You can see on the left of the second picture that my initial calls were Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. I knew this flight was the same grape variety from four different places, so I just had to get the grape to figure out where in the world these wines were from. It wasn’t until Wine 4 of this flight that I got typical (to me) Sauvignon Blanc notes. This wine was a Graves, not a South African Sauv Blanc. It did have Semillon blended in (yay), but otherwise this wine didn’t present like a typical Bordeaux Blanc (to me). Usually Bordeaux Blanc smells like straight up cat piss. I learned a lot with this particular wine.

but jade, why blind taste, especially if i’m not studying for a wine exam?

I think blind tasting has benefits for everyone - some of which may be a little less apparent than others.

• You become a better taster - this sounds obvious, but it’s true. It’s a skill that can be learned, but has to be practiced regularly. How often do we really think about how our food and drink taste on a daily basis? Are we expanding our vocabulary beyond “good” and “bad”? Are we trying to taste the nuance of every dish that is put in front of us? Can we describe the savoury notes? When you’re around folks who taste wine all of the time, you learn more and more vocabulary to add to your arsenal. Yes, I might sound a little crazy saying that a wine smells like lemon curd and butter smeared on whole wheat toast, but it works for me because I can smell and taste all of those components.

• Time slows down - this is certainly not true in exam conditions, but when I’m doing these blinds by myself at home, I get to slow down and focus. It can almost be a meditative process as I focus all of my senses on what is in the glass. In a fast-paced world with too many things to do, this blind tasting kit is the perfect way for me to tune out the noise.

• It is theory in practice - for those of us who are studying, we get to our final conclusions using theory: grape typicity, regional typicity, climate, winemaking, age, etc. Blind tasting ends up being a great study tool because you can smell and taste what you’re learning. When I approach a white wine with fuller body, I’m immediately asking myself: is this grape typicity like Viognier? Is it bâtonnage? Is it oak? Is it a blend? All of those questions end up leading me to the grape(s) and a part of the world that it may come from.

• You build up your arsenal of wines - When I started blind tasting, I hadn’t built up my arsenal of grape varieties, so a lot of my final conclusions were shots in the dark. Is it a high-ABV red? I’m calling it Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Is it a high-acid unoaked white? I’m calling it Chablis. Now that I’ve tasted a lot of wines, I have that arsenal of memory that I can pull from to guide me to a final conclusion. Blinding with a group is also a great way to taste classic producers without committing to an entire bottle.

Any of you out there who wants to start a similar group to what Janeen has, I highly recommend contacting her on IG for details. And know that you can absolutely organise something like this.

Here’s to learning more through blind tasting,

- j

Balance in everything.

whole30 retrospective

I’m really glad that my boyfriend and I did Whole30. The majority of the time, sticking to the plan wasn’t difficult - just required some extra planning on our parts. At the end of August, I’d reached probably 90% completion with Whole30. There were a few planned events where I broke the diet, but it was only for those events, not for the entire day. Here’s a few things I’ve learned from experience:

1. You can do it…if you want to - when I told people what I was doing, there were so many who told me that they wish they could do something like this. The biggest thing that people had an issue giving up was alcohol. I find that interesting, since I work in wine. Giving up alcohol wasn’t that difficult for me. There were plenty of times when I went out with friends (I mean out out, like bars and parties) and I was the sober one. Being the sober one is an interesting experience and I can see how alcohol is a great social lubricant - I ended up being a little more reserved than usual when we were out. But otherwise, I didn’t miss it. Now that I’m off Whole30, I’m not seeking out the next drink or opportunity to do so. Recently, my boyfriend and I had a lovely date night dinner at Talat Market, where I opted for the young coconut water instead of a cocktail. Anyone can do this - you just have to push past the desire to consume things you’re eliminating. This was also a great way to reconsider my relationship with alcohol in general, as it is something I continue to respect.

2. I FEEL AMAZING - no lie, I sleep better, I run better, I feel a lot more sharp. I even lost weight, which wasn’t the goal of the program, but that’s naturally going to happen when all you eat is meat, fruit, and veggies. I’ve slowly reintroduced some things, but not nearly to the degree that I consumed them prior to the program.

3. Avocados are gold - I wasn’t a big smoothie girl prior to Whole30. Plop a whole avocado into a smoothie and that’s lunch. Literally kept me full for hours. Forget ever needing protein powder again.

4. Coconut water is gold - As a frequent runner, I used to use Nuun tablets for electrolytes post-run. Now, I throw some coconut water in a smoothie or just drink it straight after a run. That and a banana has me set for post-run recovery.

5. Your body craves what you feed it - maybe I’m crazy (I am), but I’d much rather snack on cucumbers and apples over potato chips these days. This program has also forced me to ask myself, “are you hungry or are you bored?” whenever I reach for a snack. Good lil checks and balances system.

6. ZERO PMS symptoms - The wildest benefit that I didn’t expect. No bloating. No cramps. Even the hormonal mood swings weren’t that bad. Hell, I’ll keep eating like this for that benefit alone.

“what do you want to do?”

I’ve been getting this question a lot recently in regards to my career in wine. Probably because I’m nearing the end of Diploma 🤞🏽🤞🏽

My answer is:

i don’t know.

If everything was up to me right now, I’d be in California working harvest. IYKYK. Hopefully that will work out next year, but in the interim, I’m hopefully going to figure out what post-Diploma life looks like. I’m still learning about different opportunities available in the wine industry. I know what I enjoy doing, but there’s still so much I haven’t been exposed to. Looking forward to the next year or so, where I start to narrow down what makes me tick in this industry.

If anyone wants to fund my travel for the next year to help me figure this out, let me know (jk but not really).

oregon women in wine 🤝 atlanta women in wine

Our last meetup featured the amazing Bree Stock MW, who was in town showing her wines, Limited Addition. They’re all STUNNING if you haven’t tried them yet. The Mencia and Arneis are my favourites of the lot.

It turns out that Bree and I have a few friends in common out in Oregon, all associated with the Oregon Women in Wine group (the OR and ATL groups were created independently of each other, but same vibes and goals). This woman is literal goals and I’m glad to have met her! An inspiration for sure! My next step is visiting everyone out in Oregon 🤞🏽

Here’s to refocused priorities, studying 2x a day, living deep, and sucking the marrow out of life,

- j

i am unwell.

D3: Wines of the World is worth 50% of my overall Diploma mark. It consists of two exams - one theory and one tasting. The theory exam is a bunch of essay questions. The tasting exam is four flights of three wines each (grape variety, country, regional, and mixed-bag). Just typing all of that raised my heart rate.

Needless to say, the pressure is on. If you’re around me at all during this intense study time, here are a few ways to support me:

1. Blind me on testable wines (I can send you the list 🫠)

2. Hold me and tell me that everything is going to be okay. I might cry, but let it happen.

3. Let me nerd out with you on whatever region I’m studying that day. 5 minutes tops. Promise.

4. Make me food. And then teach me how to make said food.

d5

I got my D5 results yesterday and I passed! A huge relief as I’m now halfway done with Diploma. Not gonna lie, I did expect to get a pass with merit on the tasting portion because I feel like I crushed it, but hey, a win is a win.

Fortified wines were, by far, my weakest category of wines. Now, I’ve gained confidence in being able to accurately describe them.

hospitality and family meal

With each passing day, I am finding more comfort in working in the food & beverage industry.

And to think, I used to be proud of not having worked in a restaurant or done service jobs.

When The Bear came out, a lot of my friends in the industry immediately dipped out of the experience due to service industry PTSD. I get it - I’ve never worked behind a bar or been a server with volumes of tickets coming in, so I can only imagine how stressful each episode felt. For me, watching The Bear has made me even more curious and excited about being in this industry. Never thought I’d be here wanting to learn how to bartend or wanting to step into BOH, but here we are.

I’ve been making family meal for my colleagues and friends at work and, let me tell you, it is the most fun thing. I am essentially microdosing joy every time I see people enjoy the food I make them. There’s no feeling quite like it. Watch this space because I might be crazy enough to do something with this…

wines for the end of whole30

Whole30 has been chill. It wasn’t until Day 18 that I started to feel annoyed with the diet. I’m gonna see it through till the end because I’m in the final stretch, but this last week has been a bit difficult. I did have two occasions where I put the diet on hold - a baseball game and a wine dinner - but it was only for those two occasions. I still followed the diet during the day leading up to the events.

I look and feel fantastic though. So, when I’m officially done with Whole30, there will be elements of it that I implement into my daily life.

While I haven’t really missed alcohol, there are a few wines that I’m looking forward to drinking once Whole30 is complete:

2015 Cantine Sociale Cooperative Copertino Riserva

This is one of my favourite weeknight wines. Made from mostly Negroamaro with a splash of other grapes, it’s full of notes of dried red fruit, plums, garrigues, fruit leather, and baking spices. It’s also a wine with age that’s less than $20 on the shelf.

I am going to pair this with the sluttiest cheeseburger the day that Whole30 is over. I can’t wait.

2023 Union Sacré Edelzwicker

A lovely blend of Alsatian grapes (Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, Riesling, Gewurz, Muscat) from California’s Central Coast. This wine slaps you in the face with aromatics in the best way - all the peach, white flowers, and tangerine notes. This wine was made for sharing with friends during a porch hang.

Limited Addition Mencia

In another post, I’ll talk about meeting Bree Stock MW (the winemaker for Limited Addition, among many other things) and how incredible she is. But this wine holds a special place in my heart. I first discovered this wine when I got it in a Crunchy Red Fruit subscription box. I brought it to a bottle share and everyone was like JADE 🤯 and I was like I KNOW RIGHT?! Mencia from the Willamette Valley?! It’s incredible. Savoury and peppery with a healthy dose of red florals. This is also the first Mencia planted in the Willamette Valley - super cool!

Hermann J Wiemer Field White Blend

It’s not a wine post if I don’t talk about the Finger Lakes! LOL this is a constant favourite of mine. It’s a blend of Gruner Veltliner, Riesling, and Chardonnay that makes for an aromatic porch pounder. White flowers and orchard fruit dominate the nose and palate of this wine. A great intro to what FLX wine can do :)

The Fableist Albariño

Ok, I have so many industry friends who kept telling me about how incredible this wine was. Soo I decided on a whim to purchase it for an endcap and get a sample for the staff to taste. Holy shit people were not lying. This is such a fun expression of Albariño - all the typical notes of salty peach rings with a slight citrus zest edge.

here’s to whole30 ending soon and getting to eat a slutty cheeseburger,

- j

wset diploma update

I’m back to studying. Taking it a little slow right now. I just placed my order for my D3 text to be printed, so once that comes in, I’ll start diving into that alongside D4 (Sparkling Wines). The next 9 months will be full of intense studying and blind tastings, but it’ll all be worth it.

D4 exam - 22 January
D3 exam - 13-14 May

lfg.

whole30

My boyfriend and I decided to follow the Whole30 diet in August. July was a month full of celebrations and gatherings; it felt right to do a full reset of our diets and take a break from indulgences. If you’re not familiar with Whole30, it’s basically just meat, fruit, and vegetables. No grains, dairy, added sugar, legumes, baked goods, or alcohol. I know, it’s hella restrictive.

But you know what? I feel fucking amazing.

Statistically, people usually ditch Whole30 around Day 10 or 11. And here I am, Day 14 holding strong. I thought I’d miss alcohol more than I do. Since the start of the month, I’ve been to plenty of events or chill hangs that centered around alcohol and I’ve been fine being the sober one. I’ve had a couple sips of sake and rosé, but nothing that would get me even close to buzzed. This has made me realise just how much of a social lubricant alcohol is.

My biggest craving right now is a cheeseburger. I already have plans on getting one when I’m done with Whole30. Otherwise, I’m happy on this reset journey. I’m sleeping better. I’m hardly ever bloated. I feel light on my feet. I’m discovering new ways to make food taste good.

a silly lil tattoo

I got a silly lil tattoo because why not?

fried chicken sandwiches

Ok so I may have girlbossed a bit too close to the sun 😬

Last month, I made fried chicken sandwiches for my coworkers because why not? I’m basically making family meal if family meal was a thing for beer/wine retail 😂 Everyone loved them and some of our regulars caught wind and asked me for some. So I made some more and handed them out to the regulars and a few friends. Now I’ve made something of a name for myself as an amateur chef?!

what.

This is something I love to do - cook/bake and share with people. It brings me such joy. I really didn’t expect things to take off like this but I’ve already got people who want the next drop of sammies 😆 maybe there’s a pop-up or a dinner party in my future?

here’s to joy,

- j

wset diploma update

D5 came and went. I was especially nervous about the tasting portion since this was my first Diploma-level tasting. But I feel pretty good about it. I either nailed the wines spot on or got incredibly close. (WSET releases the wines a few days after the exam, so I’ve got a good idea of where I stand at least with the tasting). With theory, I’m just hoping that I wrote enough to pass. Hoping everything I wrote made sense too 🤪

I think the most nerve-racking part of the exam is managing your time effectively. You’re given 90 minutes to complete everything - theory and tasting. It’s up to you how you divide your time. I wanted to do 30 minutes for tasting (3 wines) and 60 minutes for theory, but I reached the 40-minute mark with tasting and then started to get anxious.

Glad to (hopefully) be done with fortified wines. As much as I appreciate and love fortifieds, having to blind so many of them in preparation for the exam was brutal. So much RS.

So glad I’ve turned in my D6 paper on regenerative viticulture. The thing that made this difficult is the time frame in which I chose to complete it - in tandem with D5. 100% do not recommend doing D6 at the same time as another unit - it is not fun. I did learn a lot, though. Thanks to all the people who offered resources, interviews, editing skills, and encouragement. I’ve said from the beginning that my Diploma journey is going to be a community effort, and I couldn’t have gotten this far without y’all.

I am taking the smallest of breaks at the moment - going to start studying for D4 sometime in August. That exam is in January. Then it’s the dreaded beast - D3. I’ll take that exam in May and hopefully be done with this whole thing. As much as I’m learning (and also grateful for the opportunity to do this), I’m ready to have my life back. I’m ready to be a kitchen goblin again and cook/bake things for my friends.

santa lucia highlands somm tour 2024

I got the incredible opportunity to go to the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in California earlier this month. A group of 25 wine professionals from all over the country gathered together for a few days of exploring vineyards, meeting winemakers, and tasting through the breadth of wines produced there. Some highlights:

Bubbles in Escolle Vineyard with Caracciolli Cellars. The Blanc de Noirs was incredible.

Dinner on the final night at 7th and Dolores. Tasted through wines from Morgan Winery and Rombauer Vineyards.

A slightly blurry pic of the setup for a library tasting in the caves at Pisoni Vineyards. These wines were killer. If the world ends, I’m taking up residence in this bunker.

Discovered I liked oysters on this trip - oysters and caviar overlooking Morgan Winery’s Double L Vineyard. What a way to start the day!

Back to Escolle Vineyard where I nerded out hard when I saw rootstock #1103P and knew exactly why these vines would be planted on that specific rootstock 🤓

A memorable trip with incredible wine professionals. #wholetusoutside #donttemptmewithagoodtime

avoiding burnout

I was pretty close to burnout in July. Nearly all of my free time was spoken for. It was all good and fun stuff - working at a pop-up, the SLH trip, my birthday, finishing D6, etc. I am glad to be on the other side of that mountain, though. Allowing myself a brief moment to breathe and chill out before jumping back into studying and getting my routine back. It is so incredibly hard for me to just rest, but I’m practically forcing myself to do so right now.

Here’s to rest,

- j