This is my pubic record of wine studies. I would tell more people about it, but I fear that would greatly reduce the size of my circle of friends.
So anyway, I spent the first ten years of my career on Wall Street where I found out that alcohol ‘helps’.
After ditching a long career as a sell-side publishing analyst at JPMorgan, I worked in wine retail at Italian Wine Merchants and then as the co-beverage director for Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New York City.
From there I moved to the distribution side with Skurnik Wines (French portfolio manager) and worked with the Champagne houses of Billecart-Salmon and on the supplier side with Lanson.
And all the while I was studying wine though the Court of Master Sommeliers, Wine Scholar Guild and Society of Wine Educators. This is my version of being an athlete. I am most proud to have completed the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) curriculum, earning my Diploma in 2011. I have been an instructor for consumer wine classes at Astor Wine & Spirits and Brooklyn Winery and keep myself sharp by teaching the WSET curriculum today.
Also keeping me sharp are my preparations for the Master of Wine exams. This amazing journey has allowed me to connect with wine professional in all parts of the value chain and all over the world. This has also helped me to justify spending a lot of time eating, drinking and exploring some of the most beautiful places on earth. You’ll find a lot of practice essay posts here at TheThirstyRedhead.com.
Best of all, I am doing what I love most as the Wine Educator for Santa Margarita USA developing tools that help convey the story of our wineries for internal, trade and consumer audiences. I have created several sales and educational tools using different media and am developing a comprehensive onboarding program for new employees.
I welcome the opportunity to meet and share my knowledge with other wine enthusiasts and understand more of this wide-ranging industry.
If you’d like to work with me or just want to drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you! Cheers!
