writing this blog without recognition of my introduction to the “wine industry” would be a disgrace. So, let’s dive into where it all began.

I spent my summers working at a lake resort in Northern Idaho. At the start of my first summer, I was a cocktail waitress who was quickly transferred into the fine dining room. I had just become comfortable with the bar menu and confident to explain to customers the amount of alcohol in a 32oz cocktail, but my managers thought otherwise.

Before I realized it, I was serving $80 steaks and opening $200 bottles of wine for people on their glorious lake vacation. Three weeks earlier, I was shaking the tray of cocktails heading to my first table, too scared to even ask where they were visiting from. The “fake it until you make it” mentality only led me so far, especially until 60-year-old women were requesting “our butteriest chardonnay” and the difference between the 2016 Groth Oakville Cabernet and the 2017 Walla Walla Vinters.

My repetitive joke of being only 20-years-old with an extremely limited wine palette only got so far with customers in the dining room. After the embarrassment and the forced laughter subsided, I recognized there is no reason why I can’t feel comfortable around the topic of wine at a young age. Why can’t we all feel comfortable no matter what age we are?

This blog is for everyone and anyone who wants to learn about the wine industry through a public relations lens and a young female perspective. I look forward to creating this biweekly blog as a welcoming and informative space. Feel free to visit the “Community” tab for guidelines on this public blog!