Hi! My name is Sarah, and this is my wine blog. Let me tell you a little about how and why it came to be.

I wasn’t always a wine lover. In fact, up until I was 25, I don’t think I’d ever had a full glass of wine, other than the odd flute of champagne on New Years.

I realise now, of course, that it almost definitely was never *actual* champagne.

It just didn’t appeal to me. I didn’t *get it*.

Then, my life took a sharp left turn when I decided to leave my career path in the Martial Arts industry, and pursue something new. Part of that life overhaul involved spontaneously moving across the country to Osoyoos, BC, with my amazing cousin, Matt. If you’re reading this Matt, I owe you big time.

I decided to stay in Osoyoos for the duration of the two year application process for my new dream job. And during that time, I made a commitment to myself to try as many new things as possible. Take risks. LIVE.

If you’re not already aware, Osoyoos is the southernmost part of the Okanagan Valley in Canada. It’s a stunningly beautiful wine region. If you haven’t had the chance to visit yet, add it to your travel list immediately. You won’t regret it.

So, as the saying goes, “when in Rome,” …. I decided to go wine tasting.

Lucky for me, Matt knew a great guy named Mike, who managed a winery just outside town and set up a tasting for me.

I had no idea what to expect. I’m also fairly certain I looked like an idiot because I kept rotating between the glasses as they accumulated on my table. But the experience was amazing. Shout out to Wade at LaStella Winery for first sparking my interest in wine.

At the end of the tasting, I found out they were losing a staff member and needed one more employee for the summer. And I needed a job. I’m a fast learner, so I leapt at the opportunity. Trying new things, right?

I hit the ground running. I buried myself in memorising everything I could about their wines, so I could regurgitate it on command during tastings. A plethora of wine words swirled around my head constantly, and the more I learned, the more I realised I didn’t know.

That summer was the best summer of my life, along with the one that followed working at their sister winery, Le Vieux Pin. Alex, their wine club coordinator, also gets a shout out for always challenging me to learn more.

When it came time to finally leave the Okanagan for my new career, it was bitter sweet. Osoyoos had become my home. The people I met in the wine industry had become incredible friends. It was very hard to leave, but I had to put my love of wine on hold.

As I write this, it’s now four and a half years later (fall of 2020).

My fascination with wine was re-ignited last year during a particularly challenging time in my life. I was suffering from some major burnout. I started seeing a psychologist, and he told me I needed a hobby that had absolutely nothing to do with my job.

Now, one might think that turning to alcohol during a time like that would be a bad idea…. but I threw myself into a wine tasting challenge I found from Wine Folly, where I dedicated myself to tasting 34 different wines from 12 different countries in 6 months. Check it out if you want to challenge yourself!

I started hosting blind wine tastings parties, bought books on wine, and scouring wine blogs to learn as much as I could. It was the perfect distraction.

I turned 30 the same year and treated myself to getting my WSET Level 1 Award in Wines.

And now I’m hooked. I’ll be taking my Level 2 course later this year (2020), and I plan to rejoin the wine industry whenever it’s time to retire or step away from my career.

(update: I’ve since passed the WSET Level 2 with distinction and can’t wait to collect more certifications!)

I decided to create this blog for two reasons.

First, I want a place to share my passion with people. I want to tell you about the wines that I drink, the wineries I visit, the amazing people I meet in the industry, and so much more. I want to document it all so I don’t forget.

Second, I remember so well what it felt like to be a total wine baby. It really wasn’t that long ago, after all. I knew nothing, but I didn’t want to ask *dumb* questions. A lot of the resources out there are fantastic for where I’m at now, but they are a little *too much* when you are first getting started. I wanted answers that were quick and easy.

So that’s what I want to give to you.

I want to build a library of quick, easy to digest posts that help you get your footing in the wine world, so you can learn to love it just as much as I do.

If there is ANYTHING you want to know, please don’t hesitate to ask.

After all, we were all just little wine babies once, and every single one of us had the same question: “what the hell are tannins??”

Love,

Sarah