Have you ever wondered what your life would be like when you would not be able to smell? Yet, we always take the sense of smell for granted until we can’t smell every day scents of cooking or perfumes. When
Sideways: A Sommelier Reflects on this Classic Wine Movie
Ah, the classic Sideways. I am a professional sommelier, and I won’t lie. I’ve watched every wine movie that has ever come out, even the romantic comedies. Why? Because when you’re into wine, you want to know all about it,
A Sommelier’s Guide to French Wine
You’ll find fantastic wine coming from every grape-growing country globally, but French wine is on another level. It’s not that French wine is better than the rest (sometimes it is), but you can’t beat the tradition, lore, and history behind
The Most Diverse Wine Schools In America
Although a lot of ink has been spilled over diversity in the wine trade, our industry seems to be exempt from much of the #blacklivesmatter and #metoo social movements. Sadly, almost nothing has changed since highly damning news reports started
Online Sommelier Classes
The Pandemic Changed Sommelier Education March 2020 was a terrible moment for wine educators. In-class wine education was impossible for much of the United States. The best wine schools pivoted toward a variety of online wine programs. Many of the
Top Wine Educators in America
The Top Wine Educators in America There are a handful of wine educators that dominate wine education. They have founded the top wine schools in America and blazed trails into sommelier training. These men and women are essential to the
Top Wine Blogs for Aspiring Sommeliers
Wine has been a hot topic for millennia; it is entwined with our culture like no other libation. Wine is fun, interesting, desirable, and posh; it’s the one drink for that you have to study to understand fully. The wine
The COVID Catastrophe & Possible Salvation for Wine Schools
In this article, we go into detail on how the pandemic has negatively impacted the wine trade, and in particular wine education. In the last section, we offer a ray of hope: there are multiple grants available for wine schools.
Opposing Viewpoints from the Sommelier Community
Sommeliers Speak Out After writing an omnibus article on the problems facing the Court of Master Sommeliers, we heard from many high-profile sommeliers who did not like how we portrayed the Court. Below are excerpts of the comments. Note: We
Boycott the Court?
This article was updated in October 2020 to reflect new reporting by the New York Times that reveals troubling accounts of sexual violence within the Court of Master Sommeliers of America (CMSa). Several CMSa members have spoken up to defend