The Wine Cellar Storyteller
I didn't know much about wine just a few years ago.
Just a few years ago, in the late summer of 2020, I was clueless. I just didn’t know it.
Sure, I had a degree in history and knew how to study. I ran a small business in the Washington DC Exurbs. I was raising two incredible daughters. But I was clueless.
You might recall, but 2020 was a total stinker. In addition to the general drudgery of the year-that-should-be-forgotten, we lost a woman who had been in my life for almost 25 years; my dad’s long-time partner, Sigrid Velten. Since she was substantially younger than my dear ol’Dad, it was hard to believe that we didn’t have decades more to make a plan for what should come next with the winery that had been in her family since 1818. But there we were…lost.
When I managed my way (surprisingly) through locked-down international borders for her funeral, I found myself on the other side of the planet in a global pandemic for two weeks. My dad, a friend, and I decided to complete a project that he had been promising to strike off the “Honey-do list” for years: paint the now-dingy walls of the once-white winery. We got to work.
Cleaning doesn’t normally change your life. This time it did.
For the next two weeks, we painted, cleaned, organized, wept, stained, laughed, and explored our way around the “Hof” (that’s what you call the open areas of a home and patio area in Germany.
While we did, a seed was planted in my nerdy heart. All along, it was right in front of me that wine was this romantic product that bottled time. That somehow, experts were able to taste the weather, regulation, and the dreams of an intrepid winemaker (sometimes) years after their product is made and sent out into the world. As a gal with a degree in history, I was gobsmacked. This wasn’t just about euphoria. It was about the senses. I had to know everything.
The Journey to DipWSET
Since I started from the middle of nowhere, it took a few weeks to figure out how I was going to make wine a part of my life. At the time, I was a podcast host for average endurance athletes. This was a bit of a left turn, for sure.
The problem is that when I asked to go visit the vineyards on that trip, I came upon our Spätburgunder berries haning on the vine during veraison. (Spoiler alert: this is the period of time during ripening when grapes undergo a color change from green to their final color. It doesn’t happen in a snap, so you can see that there is a mix in these bunches.)
I was floored by the beauty of these rows. I reached out, touched them, and said, “I never knew that red and green grapes came from the same bunch!”
See? It’s important to understand where we were starting here.
Who would want anything to do with me? How could I serve anyone with that kind of ignorance?
It was clear that I needed something serious: Education.
So, I did some digging and discovered two major training providers for wine education: Wine & Spirits Education Trust with the option to continue through the Institute of Masters of Wine, or the Court of Master Sommeliers. After a short bit of research, it was clear to me that WSET would be the right route for me. I didn’t intend to work tableside. Still don’t.
I skipped Level 1 because I was confident I could catch up quickly with Level 2. I purchased the class, drove to Richmond to pick up my first ever wine samples, and the process began.
This is where the magic happened. It was where is discovered how food impacts wine for the very first time. It was when I started to discover that I have a pretty great sniffer. It was all so exciting.
I quickly passed the exam (with distinction) at this level and took the giant leap to L3. I wasn’t ready for how much the workload would intensify so quickly, but I adjusted and pushed through. It’s like how I tell everyone that a full marathon isn’t two half marathons, it’s three. It’s runner math.
At Level 3, you experience your first blind tasting portion of an exam with one white and one red. I drove down to Tampa just as nervous as a gal can be. Then I was given a gift!
1. White wine: New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from a large producer.
2. Red Wine: California Cabernet Sauvignon from a high quality producer.
Soft balls. Nailed it!
Four months later, I learned that I also passed this level, with Merit.
Thus began my two-year journey to complete level 4, the Diploma level.
I am excited to share that of the five exams and one research assignment required for completion, I have passed all four taken exams on the first attempt. I am currently writing my research assignment and will begin preparing for the fifth and final exam this fall. Phew.
Not All Wine Education Comes From A Book
I knew that I needed experiential learning in order to make the zillions of things I was reading about come to life. Videos helped (thanks Wine With Jimmy! You’re a lifesaver!) but I needed to get my hands in the dirt.
I happened to be a member of a Facebook group for enthusiasts of Virginia Wine, and I saw a post for a winery about an hour away that needed help restoring a neglected vineyard in the back of the property. When I reached out to the owner, he responded pretty quickly with a message about how hard the work would be. There would be posts to move and bugs and cold and rain and and and…
I was pretty sure he was telling me that he wasn’t interested in a girl. So, I thanked him and moved on. Instead he responded and asked me to head out there that weekend to take a look and get an understanding of what the job entailed. I did. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Over the next two growing seasons, Chateau MerrillAnne in Orange, Virginia became my Saturday escape. I grew to love not only my unruly vines (less so the poison ivy that plagued me. I learned about the glory of long sleeves quickly!) but also the owners, Kenny and Emily, and the rest of the crew became something of a second family for me. They listened as I shared my wine dream. They encouraged me. They showed me so much love.
You could have offered me a chance to work in a Grand Cru vineyard and I wouldn’t have found it as special as that place. It was magic.
When they took a chance on a clueless wine student, they made me the wine-nerd that I am today.
She’s a beauty.
There was also the business of the vineyards and winery in Germany that needed plenty of TLC, and the wine needed a route to market. Neither we quite knew how to do, but we were sure we would figure it out!
Though it took close to two years, we managed to create and license an importation and distribution company in Warrenton, Virginia, housed in the coolest old military spy building next to a winery. I was so proud the day our first shipment of two pallets arrived from a sketchy trucking company out of New Jersey. It was like adult Christmas!
It just wasn’t meant to be. Shortly after, my husband learned of a transfer to southeast Georgia. We surrendured our licenses, packed up the family, and headed south.
In the meantime, I flew over to Germany whenever I could to help in the vineyards or winery, soaking up all the information around me, and tasting through any and everything in the cellar and around town. We also replanted a fallow field with a new cultivar, Cabernet Blanc, and are excited to release the first wine made from those vines later this year. (I tasted it last month. Get excited!)
So That is the Story
So That is the Story
Since landing in St. Marys, Georgia, I have just been plugging away, studying, tasting, and exploring the world of wine.
I feel so lucky to be co-hosting monthly wine tasting events with Sweet Luncheonette, the most incredible bespoke bakery and wine shop in all of Georgia. If you are reading this, you should absolutely make plans to come check one of these out! We would love to meet you.
At the same time, we are about to start renovating the old commercial building on the 50+ acre farm that I purchased with my sister here in Woodbine, Georgia. We are thrilled to share that it will one day be the home of a winery, local good-shop, and event venue called The Tree at Mile 7. All good things take time.
What We Do
One Hundred Vines is a private wine tasting company offering in-home wine tastings with a professional sommelier and WSET Level 3 wine educator.
We believe that through our private wine events, we can guide you to a new level of comfort the next time you are handed a wine list or walk down the wine aisle.
One Hundred Vines wants to help you find a delicious new bottle of wine, guide you enjoy it more deeply, connect with your friends and family, and live a better life.