"The Wine Savant" Feat. @Swirlsuite

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Today’s episode is an interview with the women behind “The Swirl Suite,” a squad of women of color in the wine and spirit professionals from DC to Paris. We met via #PodcastLinkUp Twitter chat, traded wine book recommendations, and the rest is Internet history!

 

The book: “The Wine Savant: A Guide to the New Wine Culture” by Michael Steinberger. I picked the book up a couple of years ago while still working my first ~job~ post-college, at NBC News. The book focuses on the basics of wine through the lense of French wine culture (“viticulture”). A vacation to the Amalfi Coast changed everything for me when it came to tasting wine, and I read Steinberger’s work in between sips.

 

The voices you’ll hear are:

 

Sarita, Vine Me Up - Instagram, Twitter Melissa, The Liquor Lady - Instagram, Twitter Tanisha, Girl Meets Glass - Instagram, Twitter Leslie, Vino 301 Wine Concierge - Instagram, website

 

SHOW NOTES

Summerhill Bar in Brooklyn’s “bullet hole wall” “decor” x gentrification and artisanal drinking The Swirl Suite talk about their first jobs in the wine and liquor industry, and the moment they knew they had a future here. How did they find out their dream jobs even *existed*?? They walk us through the different roles in the liquor industry--from the soil to the shelf. Misconceptions and myths about the wine and spirits industries 8:00 - On Summerhill Bar, craft beer, and gentrification. 10:00 - How Melissa got her first job, and why she LOVED the entry level phase of her career 11:10 - Tanisha’s life changing (and silly!) conversation with a winemaker 14:53 - Tanisha finds out she inspired Melissa to start teaching undergraduates about the spirits industry! 15:45 - Sarita’s chance trip to Napa changed EVERYTHING. Then she started running out of money. 17:00 - Sarita: “I sent an email to every winery in Maryland. There was one that had just opened, Black Ankle vineyards. I was there for five years.” 17:45 - The Swirl Suite breaks down the different roles in the industry--from soil to shelf. 19:30 - Why Leslie begged to do inventory at a premiere wine shop in DC, and what she learned 22:15 - The tasting room at a winery/ vineyard = “The Room Where It Happens!” 23:40 - Melissa knows that breweries, distilleries, and tasting rooms are great opportunities to go behind-the-scenes! 26:00 - How to get in the vines NOW (hint: It’s harvest time in Maryland and Virginia vineyards!) 28:30 - Melissa on why being open to EVERY experience in the beginning is key 29:00 - When it comes to wine, “Your learning doesn't stop with a book. You have to get out there where the vines are.” 29:35 - Staying current in your industry is a necessity. Read up on the industry news, read books, magazines and blogs, earn certifications, and join local clubs! Get OUT and TALK about wine! :)   32:00 - Leslie wants you to know, “Don’t be afraid to fail. As long as you learn the lesson from it, it wasn’t a waste.” 33:00 - Oh, and don’t be intimidated by ANYONE in the wine and spirits industry + how to be comfortable not “knowing,”--”You’re not born knowing this stuff!” 35:50 - Wine isn’t elite!

What they’re reading - Melissa: Imbibe magazine, Chilled magazine x Leslie: “Forgotten Maryland Cocktails” x Tanisha: “Into Wine: An Invitation to Pleasure,” Sarita “It’s Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done”