Journey

Earlier on: the signs

Growing up as a kid in France in the heart of the Rhone Valley smack between Hermitage & Chateauneuf du Pape, the fermented grape juice was a staple on the dining table. Of course, I was too young to actually drink it but I remember being really intrigued by all the "hmm" "aaaahhhh" "oooooh" "superb" emanating from the adults around me upon sipping their glass... as I used to absolutely adore help my dad in the kitchen and stick my nose into every possible food as well as taste everything at every state of preparation it was only natural that I would start sticking my nose into wine glasses to get an idea of the aromas. Soon enough I would be able to depict a Croze Hermitage from a Saint Joseph and a Cote du Rhone, a Cahors from a Margaux, and so the sensory bank of memories started building itself instinctively.

Fast forward a few years my dad then introduced me to the concept of food and wine pairing, he would say things like "take a bite of this then have a sip of that" . Wow! My mind and needless to say may senses were completely blown away. That's it, I want to be a "Nez du Vin" ! So we started looking at the different education routes to do so, sadly my world crushed, there were only 2 options: go down a heavy scientific chemistry route, well that wouldn't work given I was majoring my baccalaureat in foreign languages, literature and art; the other option was definitely possible as they only accepted boys onto their programs.

While I wasn't able to kick off higher education in wine to pursue a career, I still very much enjoyed traveling around the world to discover local culinary tradition as well as visit vineyards and wineries. Over the past 30 years I have been so fortunate to visit vineyards from the old AND the new world, from Europe to Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Australia, and even unexpected wineries in Bali and Myanmar. Now I live in the US I am also fortunate to be able to go to California, New York and Oregon.

It wasn't until 2019 when I met a Philip Patti, Pinot Noir pro at a wine tasting event in Gascony that I was aware women were now welcome onto Sommelier programs. That encounter planted a seed and the rest is history!

How to get started and what my approach was

I started my wine education with the Court of Master Sommeliers America (CMS-A), I took the Introductory course & workshop and successfully passed the exam soon to be followed by the Deductive Wine Tasting Workshop which was to act as a rehearsal to my Sommelier Certification exam a few weeks later. Only that was 2020 and next thing we knew it was lockdown.

My appetite for learning and pursuing my education only grew bigger and stronger. I thus applied to the NYC International Wine Center and was admitted onto the level 2 WSET program, passed with Merit and moved onto the level 3 which I also passed with merit.

The day before level 3 exam I had a conversation with Mary Gorman Mc-Adams, MW and swore to her "that's it, am done" and she smiled and said "yes we'll see". The following day I left the exam room, got home, and can you guess what I was googling? Yes, that's right, I was looking up level 4 and Master of Wine programs!

Seriously Wine is THE deepest rabbit hole you can fall down, once you start you just can't stop. And the more you learn, the more there is the learn and the more you want to learn.

So here we are, almost half way through my WSET level 4 diploma, and yes, I dropped the MW pin on my horizon. How will I get there you ask me? well follow me you shall see!

Basics for wine tasting

Ingredients:

1 bottle of fermented grape juice of choice, 2 or 3 is even better

vessel of choice with a 1:1 glass to bottle ratio so you can put them side by side

1 bottle opener

Recipe:

open bottle(s)

pour equal amounts into glasses

Look at your glass: observe colour and concentration

Bring glass closer to your face somewhere between your chin and your nose, you might get lucky and start noticing certain aromas,

Take a deep sniff

Take a sip

Swirl and... SPIT!

Observe the sensation on your mouth, palate and tongue: what's the zest, the zing and the zang? does it make your mouth water? do you feel like you just licked a velvet blanket or chewed on chalk?

Repeat with each glass, compare.

Pick the one you like best, repeat all the above except skip the sniffing and the spitting and go straight to simply drinking.

Enjoy the juice!

Wine & Wellness

Because wellness doesn't mean wineless!

As a long distance runner for years and years and years I used to be really convinced that "no, sorry am training for a marathon so am sticking to water thanks" and that "yes please, I'll have a large glass of red wine, after all am not training at the moment" were my only options, I really thought that it's an all in or all out thing.

Until I actually really didn't have much of a choice.

Indeed as I became a student of wine this did not stop me from coaching runners and waking up at 4am 4 times a week, running over 50 to 60 miles a week, training for long distances and still taste wine, even drink a glass or two sometimes. However what I did learn was balance, discipline and being organised. Like really really ruthless about when I do taste and when I don't, when I do enjoy a glass of wine and when I avoid it. I also realised that it wasn't about being all in or all out, but rather it was about being all in in THEE moment.

So yes, go ahead, you can enjoy a glass of wine or two tonight even if you are coaching or running tomorrow morning. BUT the key is to make sure that much like your food is "clean" so should be your wine. By this I mean that many of us go to great lengths of eating organic foods and other "free froms" well the same diligence should be applied to wine. That's one thing. The other thing is you want to make sure you opt for wines that will have lower alcohol and a little less sugar.

So what do I pour in my glass?

Well if it's before a race, as in the eve of a long distance race I really love a Cote du Rhone to go with my pasta. On the eve of interval training I have a soft spot for a German Riesling with daal. But regardless I always make sure the wine I drink particularly when I am coaching, training and racing will be from a sustainably grown, organic, biodynamic, vegan source. And of course drink plenty of water and drink responsibly!

Bio, Biodynamic, Natural, what is this all about

Wine & Workouts

Basics for wine pairing

What's in my glass today