How many years have you been in the business? Tell us briefly about your background and your current position today.
I have been in the industry for 10 years. Currently I am the Event Coordinator and Cicerone at Miller Union in Atlanta, GA.
Did you have a particular “aha!” moment that propelled you into wine?
I have a background in beer, actually, and wine was sometimes adversarial (in a good way) in relationship to the beer culture. I drank champagne growing up as a novelty but it wasn’t until I working in beverage that I understood how to dissect and appreciate flavor nuance.
What is the most rewarding part of what you do?
There’s never a lost opportunity to learn & grow more.
What do you do to create wellness balance in your life? Any particular activity, practices, etc that are meaningful to you?
I have trouble setting boundaries; I’m naturally a people pleaser. When I have a day off turn off all phones etc. I exercise a lot of meditation and listen to jazz music. I go to concerts.
What changes do you hope to see in the wine industry in the next five years?
I really want to see more equity. But for women to get more seats at the table, there needs a full industry wide reeducation on intersectionality.
What does equality in the wine industry look like to you?
Equality starts with respectful communication, understanding how different personalities are motivated.
How do you feel you’re contributing to creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive wine industry?
Equality starts with respectful communication, understanding how different personalities are motivated.
How do you feel you’re contributing to creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive wine industry?
I am not afraid to confront inequities and why things are they way they are. I think silence creates complicity and perpetuates unconscious bias. Speaking up forces the insidious to the surface.
What advice would you give to someone starting their career in the same sector of the wine industry as you?
Be prepared for a lot of setbacks. But setbacks don’t mean failure.
Name some people who inspire you in the wine industry and please explain why.
Julia Comey and June Rodil both inspire me. June has a lot of knowledge but is still so easily approachable and bubbly in personality; it’s easy to get jaded when you work in a male dominated field. Julia has a sophisticated wine blog covering both education and travel journalism with an eye toward generating dialog and not just proselytize subjectivity.
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