Polishing glasses post service does not often spark inspiration. One glass after the next, it is mindless work. No surprises there. Topics of conversation between colleagues often range from the mundane, “how was your night?” all the way to “let’s chat about 2012 Sauternes”. You can never really guess where things will land. One upside … Continue reading Why do you want to get into wine? →

The winemaking process is a complex series of simple decisions. The winemaker has to say yes or no to endless questions at every turn. They have to know what they have got to work with and how to make the most of that. How does the terroir influence the wine? What is the market demanding? … Continue reading The Why. →

Things to be grateful for: Wine.Choice.Wine stores. Things that can become overwhelming: Wine.Choice.Wine stores. I feel ya. This pandemic is making us all hyper aware of how much we have to be thankful for. Rightly so. We may not be able to go about daily life as we used to, but there sure as hell … Continue reading Five questions to ask at the wine store. →

Stop the presses. WSET classes have been postponed. We can't get to tasting sessions. SOS. I know how you feel. Gone are the days of casually chatting about the versatility of chenin blanc over a few glasses. All is not lost. The lack of social contact doesn’t mean that all wine study is out the … Continue reading How to continue learning about wine in the time of COVID-19. →

This is a blog called magical moments. This is a blog that lets me share, vent and generally blab about whatever that means to me, to whoever will listen. I started that process in mid 2018 and have gone in waves ever since. Thanks for coming along for the ride. As you'll already know, these … Continue reading Are magical moments COVID-19 resistant? →

Negroni. Classic Italian cocktail, made for the mediterranean life. Negroni. Everything you need to know about a bar in a single glass. Negroni in Sydney. It was 2016. I was lucky enough to be sitting at a “cool small bar” in Sydney. My sister had invited me out after a long work event. I couldn’t … Continue reading Why the negroni is the perfect cocktail. →

I am proud to be a woman. I am proud to know amazing women. I am lucky to be joining an industry that respects hardworking women. I hope to raise a woman, one day.  The concept of a single day to celebrate single categories of humans tends to sit kind of funny with me. There … Continue reading Thank goodness for wine women. →

Picture yourself in the south of France. Picture yourself in the south of France, walking along a wine road, as long as the eye can see. The wind is in your hair, you are surrounded by vines and the sun is shining. Yes, the sun is always shining in the south of France (let’s go … Continue reading Why visiting a wine region is priceless. →

I thought I needed a place to feel a certain way. I thought I needed to escape my reality and find a new one. I thought I needed to start over, far far away.  There is nothing wrong with these thoughts. But, there isn't too much right with them either. The problem is that they … Continue reading Learning to lean in. →

I’ll put it out there, wine tastings are hit or miss. With a hit, you learn a bunch, feel a little buzzed and perhaps even have a magical moment. With a miss, you just feel like shit. After forking out a bunch of cash, you’d probably rather have the first experience. Right? You are probably … Continue reading Dos and Don’ts of group wine tastings. My thoughts. →