Oh my, so much has happened.

It’s been about eight months. Eight months of moving as fast as I can. Doing, being, learning and breathing a new job. Basically, the happiest I have been professionally in a very long time.

I’m not saying that I haven’t been happy in past positions. Of course I have. Thankfully, I have the opportunity to express myself, through a profession, authentically (as much as a job can allow) and intensely with what I believe to be true when it comes to wine. I don’t know if my employer often understands my style, but I don’t know any other way to move through this life. This has lead to blurred communication, complicated exchanges, awkward moments; all I can see now, and take full responsibility for. I’m not always a delicate flower – some applaud this quality in me, others cringe and gossip while throwing a side eye – I digest and accept that, and also know that won’t stop.

I see the forest through the trees – is that the saying? It’s all in the details. What I’m trying to say is that NOW I know I don’t need to be the loudest in the room, the smartest when it comes to wine facts (“facts”: this is what those people “in the know” are chatting about, noses in the air, all while making you feel bad that YOU don’t know as much as they do – it’s just facts. Ask them to apply…), have the most expensive bottle open, or tell the best stories about the wine countries I’ve been to. I have hung out in Napa with the best of them, danced salsa in Mendoza, threw up on a hill in Tuscany, and fell asleep on a bus traveling to Burgundy. Fancy stuff, isn’t it?

But here we are. Jazzed up and screaming from the rooftops about the glory of South America wines. Yup. A category that no-one wants to talk about. A category that is LAST on the list for a buyer to invest in. A category that has a soap opera story, handsome men (and DROP DEAD gorgeous women), the brilliant and stunning Andes Mountains, some of the best barbecue you will ever taste, and yes, magnificent wines. Does all of this matter if no-one shares your enthusiasm?

It matters to me. It matters to the families that create movement and glory in a glass. Have I entered this space to tell their stories? Create the vibe where a vibe doesn’t exsist?

When you see me, give me five minutes to change your life. Let me pour you a sip. Let’s try the bubbly from Uco Valley, examine different grapes like Gruner Vetliner that are being planted in Lujan de Cuyo, order a cheese board, open a single vineyard Malbec, remember the story about how we met, and THEN discuss how we are going to market this stuff.