Inspiration
When I look at a simple cluster of voluptuous grapes just before harvest, it never ceases to amaze me the path of transformation from the vine to a finished wine—wine that never really dies but continues to live, breathe, and evolve, eagerly waiting to be released from captivity and dance in a glass. This transformation and evolution, the interlacing of art and science, grips my curiosity, heart, and most valuable asset, time.
First bitten by the wine bug on November 10, 2014, I realized that wine was a multi-faceted discipline that stretches across geography, topology, climatology, geology, viticulture, and oenology—all deeply rooted in a rich history that dates back to the book of Genesis in the Bible. Mastering wine is connecting the dots between wine in the glass to its sense of place—the region, terroir, and winemaker that produced it. Mastering wine is also understanding the countless factors in the vineyard and winery that contribute to both lackluster and high-quality, exhilarating wine. Mastering wine is respecting the juice in your glass for what it is, even though you may not intrinsically enjoy the grape variety or wine style. Mastering wine is celebrating knowledge while forever remaining humble, as there is always more to learn. Mastering wine is all about endless discovery.
Purpose
Wine Sunshine seeks to provide insight and inspiration to like-minded lovers of wine. It reflects my wine journey as I grow toward becoming a Master of Wine. It seeks to capture my wine travel adventures, game-changer wine tastings, moments of wine eureka, and delightful wine meanderings. It also is a way of sharing my knowledge to fellow students of wine who are frolicking along the same path.
Credentials
I became a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2015 and a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) with the Society of Wine Educators in 2016. More recently, I earned the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in Wines and Spirits (DipWSET) in April, 2019 and the Certified Wine Educator (CWE) designation with the Society of Wine Educators in April, 2021.
I hold a Grand Diploma of Culinary Arts from the International Culinary Center in New York City (Yes, I am a trained chef!), a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology (Cognitive Science) from the University of Washington, and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Statistics and Information Technology from the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, Willamette University. I am a lover of learning.
Soul Candy
When not engulfed in the world of wine, I enjoy loving my husband, playing with my two English Cream Golden Retrievers, Layla and Maggie, traveling around the world, cooking elaborate, multi-course meals, snow skiing, and spending time with family and friends.
Galatians 5:22-23 reads, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” How interesting it is to reflect that human beings, grapes, and wine all require such blessings to fully thrive and reach their full potential on earth. Welcome to Wine Sunshine.
